Dance With the Devil
by Jenny Joker
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Jessica Wayne moves to Gotham to live with her guardian Bruce Wayne after her parents die in a suspicious car crash. What happens when she is kidnapped by Batman's arch nemesis the Joker? Definitely not what anyone expected. Joker/OC
1. New Beginnings

**A/N: I decided to start a Joker story. I will continue my Draco Malfoy story "All Around Me", of course, and "Saying Goodbye Is the Hardest Part." I really loved the movie 'The Dark Knight' and the Joker (RIP Heath Ledger), which is why I decided to write this one. Joker will be in the next chapter, but he won't "meet" Jessica until probably the third one. I know this chapter is pretty boring, but it's just being used to introduce Jessica and Bruce as well as the circumstances of her coming to the manor. If you like it, please review! It'll make me super happy wonderful readers! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or scenes from "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight." I do own Jessica Wayne, all original characters and the plot. Now happy reading!**

**EDIT: I decided to rewrite the first few chapters to place them into first person and correct any errors. **

* * *

This was it. There was no going back from this point. Nothing could take me out of this dismal state that had taken over. Nothing could extract his evil laugh from my mind. Memories of my life before Gotham seemed to be a part of another existence. I'd let him win- but not completely. There was still a tiny light inside of me that pushed me to fight this, to fight him. Despite the terror he'd instilled inside of me, I wasn't willing to give up yet. I refused to allow him to take over. I would escape; escape until I was as far away from him as possible. There would be no next time. I would be free once and for all, no matter what it took.

* * *

It had only been two agonizingly long weeks since my parents had perished in that car accident. One reckless action on some stranger's part ruined my life, and they didn't even have the decency to turn themselves in. Nearly a week after the accident, just two hours after the funeral, I learned my fate from my parent's grey haired lawyer. To my astonishment I was placed into the care of my cousin Bruce Wayne, playboy extraordinaire, until I turned the ripe age of eighteen. Everything I'd ever known was to be dropped so I could live it up in good ol' Gotham city.

Now as I sat in the passenger seat of my Aunt Stacey's black Escalade, I was desperately trying to extract any memory I had of Wayne Manor. It had been five years since I'd spent two weeks of my summer at the manor or even spoken to Bruce. I suppressed a sigh as my thoughts traveled back to the fact that my parent's hadn't even bothered to let me in on who my future guardian would be. Though, I couldn't completely blame them; nobody ever expected me to be thrown into this situation.

I diverted my eyes from the dashboard to the scenery that appeared outside of the tinted window. The whole layout of Gotham could be seen from this height. Tall buildings cascading over traffic jammed cars and a population far greater than my hometown of Reston, which was set just two hours south of the notorious city. Though they weren't very far in distance, the numerous differences between the two definitely weren't helping this small town girl's nerves.

"We're almost there, now. Just five more minutes," the falsely cheerful voice of my aunt stated. The sound of her voice brought forward one of the many questions I'd been pondering over for the past couple of weeks. With only five more private minutes left together I decided now was a better time than any to get this off my chest.

"Aunt Stacey, why didn't my parents choose you as my guardian? I mean, you live in Reston. You're the one I actually know," I stated tentatively, hoping I wasn't touching on a sore subject, though I couldn't hold back some of my boiled up anger.

Her face turned serious as she pondered over the question, though I was sure she'd already wondered the same thing herself. "Well, maybe they wanted you to get out of Reston. Make things a bit easier for you by…starting fresh," she said after a few moments of silence.

"I understand that," I said truthfully, "but Bruce Wayne? Everyone knows he's just a young bachelor. Besides, he's only ten years older than I am. How am I supposed to be controlled by someone who can't even control himself?"

"I know, darling, but apparently they thought he was responsible enough. You know your parents wouldn't have left you with someone they didn't think could take good care of you," she said as she turned onto a deserted road with nothing but forest on either side.

I sighed in agitation, mostly because I knew she was right. I'd been forced to leave my family and friends to come here. Hopefully my parent's had been right.

My doubtful thoughts were forgotten for the time being as we pulled up to the large, black gates that guarded the entrance to the manor. Aunt Stacey pushed a black button that was on an intercom stand beside the car.

"Name, please," came the familiar British accent of what sounded to be an older man.

"Stacey Myers. I'm here to drop off Jessica Wayne," she answered clearly into the speaker.

"Of course, Mr. Wayne has been expecting you. Please, come in," he said. With those words the large gates slowly opened, allowing us access to my new home for the next year. Aunt Stacey pulled in and drove the car around the circular driveway until we were directly in front of the manor. I looked over at the double doors as I stepped out of the car, my legs feeling slightly shaky. A young man with short, dark hair stepped out wearing a tight fitted black t-shirt and black jeans. There was no doubt that this was Bruce Wayne.

"Well if it isn't little Jessie Wayne," he said with a smile that showed off his pearly whites as he walked over to me. Once he'd made it over he immediately embraced me in a hug. "I'm so sorry about your parents," he whispered sympathetically in my ear.

I hugged him back for a few moments before pulling away, muttering a 'thanks' as I did so. Though it was sad to realize, at least now I had someone who had an idea of what I was going through. Bruce had witnessed his parent's death when he was only eight years old.

I heard another set of footsteps coming down the staircase and looked over to see an older man dressed in a black suite with a tie.

"Jessie, this is my butler, Alfred. I'm sure you remember him from your last visit here," Bruce stated.

I was now able to put the familiar voice from the intercom to the face as I smiled up at Alfred. "Of course, you always gave me those extra scoops of strawberry ice cream after dinner during my stay," I recalled with a smile.

He nodded with laugh. "Yes, I was. All children should be allowed those extra scoops," he said in his very pronounced British accent.

I had been too caught up in the conversation to notice the two men who had suddenly appeared and were now taking my bags up to what I supposed was my new bedroom.

"I'm Stacey Myers, Catherine's older sister," my aunt stated as she shook Bruce's hand.

"Of course, Catherine always spoke very highly of you," said Bruce.

"Thank you. She always spoke well of you, too, as did Kevin," she told him, a hint of sadness in her usually strong voice.

I allowed them to carry out their friendly conversation, not wishing to hear my parent's being spoken of in the past tense. Instead, I admired the impressive architecture of the building and what was visible of the surrounding grounds. It truly was a gorgeous place.

"…Oh, I can't. I've got to be heading back home. I'd like to be there before my husband burns down the kitchen while attempting to make dinner," she said with a chuckle.

"Well in that case I won't hold you any longer," Bruce responded politely, his 'upper class' demeanor clearly showing. Growing up I always got great enjoyment out of poking fun at this conduct.

Aunt Stacey turned to me making it visible that she was now trying to push back tears. "Call me anytime you need me, ok," she said into my ear as we embraced one another.

"Don't worry, I will," I assured her as I took in her warm vanilla scent one last time, doing my best to imbed it into my memory.

"I'll call you tomorrow afternoon to make she everything went okay your first night," she said before placing a kiss on my cheek. I watched with a weary feeling in the pit of my stomach as she walked over to her car and, with one final wave, drove down the driveway and out of sight.

I turned around with a quiet sigh and gave Bruce a light smile to reassure both him and myself that I was okay.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour of the manor and show you your bedroom," Bruce stated as he slid his arm around my shoulders and guided me inside.

The tour took a total of two hours, leaving my feet sore from walking down long halls and up numerous staircases, my bedroom saved for last. Bruce opened the wooden door to reveal a large room with cream colored walls. There was a queen sized bed in the center of the wall across from the door with a navy blue comforter on top of what appeared to be satin sheets of the same color. A bathroom was located to my right and to the left was a walk-in closet. A glass door was beside the bathroom that led outside to a small balcony. A huge plasma television was programmed to come down from the wall with the press of a button. I looked down to see my bags sitting on the floor, which was a cream colored plush carpet that perfectly matched the walls. To put it simply, it was a beautiful room that was simple; right up my alley.

"I hope you like it. I wasn't sure what your favorite color was so I just chose something neutral. If you want to change it-" Bruce began nervously.

I cut him off when I turned around and said, "It's amazing. Nothing needs to be changed." I gave him a grateful hug which he warmly returned.

"I'm glad," he said happily before we pulled apart. "I'll leave you to get settled. Dinner isn't for another hour and half so you can unpack and do whatever you'd like until then. If you need me I'll be in my office," he said before closing the door, leaving me to myself.

I decided to get the dreaded unpacking done first, which only took about half an hour. Once that task was finished I stuck the empty suitcases onto a shelf in the closet before taking a moment to admire my new room. Now that everything was still I realized how exhausted I was. I'd been suffering from a case of insomnia for two days straight before coming here; nerves had the tendency of getting the best of me in tough situations. Maybe a nap would refresh me slightly before dinner.

After removing my shoes I sunk into the comfortable bed that my tired body adjusted to perfectly. I looked up at the ceiling as the day's events sunk in. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as I thought it was going to be. I closed my eyes and allowed the sweet bliss of sleep to take over.


	2. All Apart of the Plan

**A/N: I want to give a big thanks to Something Not So Normal, eveluv2d, KB Kerns, GodzPrincess, Piratestorm, Lovely Hime, OktoberBlues, sam and Amaya the Winged Fox for being my first reviewers, signing up for author alerts, adding this to their favorite stories and/or helping me improve my writing :) You guys are amazing! This one has some Joker in it, but I'm really looking forward to writing the next one, because the action with Joker and Jessica will finally start to happen! Just bear with me through this chapter; it actually has important information that delves into the plot. Thanks again you wonderful readers and remember to review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Batman characters or scenes I may take from "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight." I do own Jessica, any other original characters and the plot. Now on with the story!**

**EDIT: I deleted the original copy of this chapter so I could put the text into first person so it would flow with the rest of the story. **

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I awoke with a gasp, immediately sitting up in bed. It took me a few moments to remember where I was as I took in my surroundings, a cold sweat layering my pale skin. The nightmare that hadn't interrupted my dream world in about a week had decided to make an unwelcoming reappearance during what was supposed to be my peaceful nap.

During this alarming nightmare, I was sitting in the back of my parent's old car. I had no remembrance of how I'd gotten there or why, but it seemed as if my parents were oblivious to my presence. They were sitting in the front seat, voices muffled, making it impossible for me to hear what they were saying. All of my fuzzy senses were shaken as a harsh impact came into contact with the front end of the car. My body was violently thrown forward as glass flew all around us. As if a taunting me, a cold, evil laugh would envelope the scene just before I would wake myself out of unconsciousness to escape.

As I allowed my breathing to fall back into a normal rhythm, I angrily wiped away the salty tears that had fallen. I glanced over at the clock on the night table to my left: 8:00 PM glowed in red letters. My first night here and I was already half an hour late for dinner. I groggily rose from the bed and headed out into the spacious hallway, contemplating which direction would lead me to the kitchen. This place didn't seem as magnificent when I didn't have Bruce to guide my way.

"Miss Jessica? Mr. Wayne sent me up to check on you. Are you alright?" I heard Alfred's friendly voice ask from the left side of the corridor.

"Yeah, I just overslept. I was on my way down now…well, sort of. I was actually trying to remember which way I was supposed to go," I admitted sheepishly.

"I trust you had a nice nap, then," he responded with a smile as I walked with him down a side corridor that led to a long staircase.

"Yes, I did," I lied, most certainly not about to go into my dream. "I feel bad that I'm late for dinner, though."

"Aw, there's no need for that. Mr. Wayne came to your room at 7:30, but when he saw you were asleep he let you be. After all, you've had a lot happen in one day," he responded reassuringly.

I simply nodded as we headed down the staircase, my mind still wrapped around that God awful nightmare. That evil cackle rang in my ears, now taunting me in my waking life as well. I shook the thought out of my mind as we made our way into the bright dining room. Bruce was sitting at the head of the table reading a newspaper with the title "Gotham Times" spread across the front in a fancy font. A man with curly blonde hair was seated beside Bruce reading an edition of "The Gotham Post." Upon hearing our footsteps Bruce set his paper aside and smiled up at us.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," Bruce addressed jokingly. "I told them to keep the dinner warm. Alfred, do you mind going in and telling them they may bring it out now?"

"Not at all, sir," Alfred replied with the short nod of his head before going through a door I assumed led to the kitchen.

I sat down in the chair on the other side of Bruce, feeling slightly awkward.

"Jessica, this is Tyler Gilmore. He works in the tech branch of Wayne Enterprises," Bruce stated, acknowledging the good looking man seated across from me.

He nodded at me with a smile. "Nice to finally meet you. Bruce has been talking about you a lot lately," he said cheerfully, though I could still see a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

I nodded, rather confident that I knew the content of most of those conversations. The truth was I had grown accustomed to hearing whispers and being given sympathetic looks by people as I walked past; now really wasn't any different.

"You must live in Gotham then?" I asked curiously, intent on both pushing the subject away from myself as well as learning more about the city.

"Yes, though it is nothing like this place," he said with a chuckle. "I live on 256 75th Street. It's not a bad place to live, but not the best, either."

"That's mostly because it's in the center of Gotham. That's where a lot of the crimes tend to take place," Bruce explained. I nodded, recalling the numerous articles in the "Reston Star" about a criminal who had named himself the Scarecrow about a year ago. Not to mention the other one-time criminals who roamed the dark streets.

As if on cue, four ladies came from the kitchen, each bearing different components of the meal. Three of them set our plates down on our respected placemats, while the final held a bottle of wine. After pouring separate glass for the two men at the table she eyed mine with a questioning gaze.

Bruce nodded. "She can have a little bit, not too much, though," he said with a wink. I smiled at him, remembering my own parent's nonchalant attitude towards slipping me a bit of wine during a special occasion. I felt a pang in my heart as little memories like that came to mind. Bruce stopped the woman once she'd filled up about a fourth of the glass.

My new godfather lifted his drink, Tyler and I following his lead. "To the memory of Kevin and Catherine Wayne; may their daughter's time here be…well, pretty kick ass," Bruce said with a smirk in an attempt to lighten the mood of the toast.

We all clinked glasses before I downed my allowed amount of alcohol. It left a sweet taste on my lips unlike some of the other wines I'd sipped before. I licked the tiny droplets off of my lips before delving into my delicious first meal at Wayne Manor.

**Joker's POV**

The soon to be infamous Joker was currently behind the wheel of a yellow school bus, unsuspectingly driving amongst the everyday citizens of Gotham. A large smile was plastered on his face as he relished in his recent scheme that had gone perfectly well. He had just succeeded in robbing a well known Mafia bank, all of the profits in his possession as they rightfully should be. He turned the bus into a deserted alley, breaks screeching in protest and dust flying as he skid the side of the bus against the brick wall. He turned yet another corner before coming to a halt outside of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Before he was give the chance to turn off the engine, four men and one young woman in her early twenties rushed out of the warehouse.

Still masking that cocky smile, the Joker opened the doors and stated, "Ah, little duckies. School's officially in ses-si-on," exaggerating the final word. He let out a cold maniac laughter that shook even the largest man in the group's bones.

The three men all smiled wearily, knowing it was better for their own safety if they just played along. The girl, however, laughed with all sincerity, her eyes staring up at him in admiration.

"I want all of these bags out and put into the warehouse," the Joker stated as he stepped off the bus, back slightly hunched, not really caring about what happened to the money.

On the inside, the warehouse wasn't really as dumpy looking as one would expect. This had been he and his henchmen's hideout for about two months, though they'd soon have to search for a new location due to his recent criminal activity. Getting caught was the last thing on his mind, however; he had to admit he had some very good escape methods he was more than willing to put into effect if he was to get locked up in Arkham. He was an up and coming criminal who couldn't wait to give this city a lesson. It was all a game to him. A big cycle of anarchy and chaos- the way life should be. When he turned on the television at that moment to find all news stations focused on the scene of the bank robbery he'd just committed, his spirits rose even higher.

"…customers were found lined up on the ground, smoke grenades placed in their mouths. One citizen who witnessed this claimed that the men were wearing clown masks to hide their identities. It has also been reported that all but one of these men were found dead in various locations of the bank. The one left standing left his mark on the scene; the Joker, the criminal thought to be behind a number of separate robberies committed in recent weeks, certainly wanted the police to know he was behind this. Here is an excerpt from the security cam video which shows a profile picture of the Joker. Anyone with information on him or his whereabouts are asked to please come forward to either the Gotham Police Department or the DA's office. Let us hope we truly can believe in Harvey Dent. In other news…"

"You know, they really could have used a better picture of me," he said in mock disappointment to himself. He licked his lips in that habitual way before heading back outside to check the progress of his men.

"J, there was some interesting activity at the Wayne Manor today," the young girl stated. The Joker had stationed two people at a time to look out at the manor for reasons unbeknownst to his henchmen. They figured it had something to do with the billionaire Bruce Wayne's suspicious involvement with the Gotham Police Department and that Gordon fellow.

"Really, now? Do tell," he said and licked his lips, waving his hands in a nonchalant way.

"A young girl showed up at his house today. Chase and I parked in the woods by the entrance and watched 'em. She looked to be in her upper teens, dark hair, about 5'5. By the way they were interacting it looks like she's family," she stated, happy that she was the one to reveal this information to him. She remained a little on edge, however; you always had to stay on edge while around the Joker. He was like a ticking time bomb that could explode unexpectantly at any moment.

"Interesting. I think we should be polite and drop in to welcome her to the neighborhood," he said before clapping his hands and stalking back into the building without another word.

Though she couldn't be sure, it seemed there had been a strange gleam in his eyes when she revealed the information to him. She shook this off and went back to unloading the bus, not wanting to get caught not doing something productive. After all, it was probably nothing; he was the Joker after all. Who was she, or anyone else in this world, to question him?

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**Thanks for reading! Please review to tell me what you think. **


	3. A Kidnapping

**A/N: I would like to say thanks to all of the reviewers I mentioned in the last chapter as well as bellaswanbg and sweetlouie678 for adding me to their favorite stories list. Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks wonderful readers :) **

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own any 'Dark Knight' characters. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. **

**Edit: I replaced the original copy of this chapter with this one for the same reasons expressed in chapters 1 and 2. **

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be ok? I mean, I just don't feel comfortable sending you out on your own like this," Bruce expressed to me for what felt like the hundredth time that day as I sat in my new 2008 Honda Accord. Bruce had surprised me with it the day after I arrived as a present, and I was finally going to get to drive it for the first time.

It had been precisely one week since my arrival and everything was going rather well so far. Of course, I'd only left the manor once to visit Wayne Enterprises, which is when Bruce gave me a tour of the city. After a full day of intent listening to all the back alleys I was forbidden to go down and what the easiest route to get to the Gotham General Hospital was, I felt confident that I could navigate myself around the city for a few hours.

"Don't worry, I have a map in the dashboard just in case I get lost," I said reassuringly.

He nodded, finally seeming to cave in. "Okay, tell me again exactly what it is you're doing again," he demanded. It was definitely obvious he wasn't used to the whole guardian thing yet.

I sighed before diving into the explanation again. "I'm going to park my car in the garage beside Wayne Enterprises. Then, I'm going to walk around the city for a few hours and shop. I will then walk safely back to my car and drive back here where I'm sure you will be waiting for me nervously," I said with a smirk.

He shot me the 'you're such a smart alic' look. "Good, if you need me, just call," he said. He'd also purchased me a new cell phone since he claimed mine was too "outdated," which I thought was ridiculous; silly billionaires.

I climbed into the car while giving him a small salute. "Sir, yes, sir," I said before driving off, intentionally spinning my wheels as I did so.

I couldn't suppress a laugh as I heard him bellow, "Don't do that!"

Turning onto the familiar road that led to the heart of the city, I found a good alternative rock station Bruce had recommended to me. As I sat behind the wheel I couldn't help but think that Bruce had no right to preach to me about driving like a maniac. A couple of nights ago while reading in my room I heard the loud sound of wheels screeching and looked out my window to investigate. A person I could only assume to be Bruce was the culprit; he was speeding off down the driveway in a sleek black car, one I'd never seen before. I guess it was really none of my business how he spent his nights, but it didn't leave me any less curious.

Pushing this out of my mind, I made my way into the main part of Gotham where the shops were located. I pulled up to the entrance of the parking garage, flashing my access card to the security guard before finding a parking space. I made sure I'd collected everything I'd need for the day out of the car before locking it up and heading out. It felt strange having to lock my car. Reston had been the type of town where everyone knew everyone, and no one would dare break into anyone's car. Here it was a completely different story, even in a guarded parking garage.

I made my way down the busy sidewalk, doing my best not to bump into anyone. Spotting a store that looked pretty fancy, I went in and purchased a black cocktail dress, a pair of high heels and some jewelry to match. Alfred had informed me that Bruce was known for hosting spur of the moment parties, giving me a keen opportunity to make this purchase.

I entered a few more stores here and there and grabbed something quick to eat at a McDonald's before deciding it was time to head back to the manor before Bruce had a conniption. I walked into the parking garage as I dug for my keys in my purse. I'd only made it halfway to my car when the entire room went pitch black. My heart began to pound as I prayed it was just a quick power outage. It was only after a minute passed by with no change that I really started to panic.

"Hello!," I called, "Is anyone else in here?!"

It was just my luck that there would be no answer. Weren't there supposed to be back up lights or something in here for situations like this? Cursing the whole situation, I felt around in my purse for my cell phone. When I finally tapped it and the light came on, I quickly picked it up and dialed Bruce's number. It only rang two times before I heard my godfather's voice on the other line.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked.

"I'm in the parking garage. All of the lights went out. I figured there was some sort of power outage," I said, hoping he would then comfort me with words of reassurance, though I knew deep down that really wasn't how life worked.

"No, there isn't...Look, just stay in the garage. I'll be there in ten minutes," he said hurriedly, worry coating his words.

"Okay," I stated, my voice now becoming shaky. I was beginning to get that uncanny feeling that I wasn't alone. I felt like one of those helpless damsels in distress that I always laughed at during horror movies; I certainly wasn't laughing now.

We both hung and I took a deep breath to calm myself. "It's going to be alright, Jessica. Bruce is on his way," I said to myself.

"Talking to yourself is a form of craziness, you know?" a voice stated from somewhere behind me. I felt a cold terror take hold of my body as my worst fear was confirmed: I wasn't alone.

"W-where are you?" I asked stupidly, wishing I had just stayed quiet.

"Isn't that a funny question? See, I really could be anywhere in this big, dark room. I could be on the other side of the garage, the mere echo of my voice reaching your pretty little ears. Or I could be just a figment of your imagination, fear taunting you as you wait alone." The man let out a cold laugh that seemed to sink into every part of my body…it sounded strangely familiar.

"Or I could be…"

As his voice trailed off I found myself desperately hoping it had been my imagination. A drop of sweat fell down my brow as I waited for a continuation.

"…right behind you," the man said directly by my ear, his warm breath tickling the back of my neck.

_Scream for help._

"HELP M-" My cry was cut off by a strong hand covering my mouth, his fingertips sinking into my cheek.

"You wouldn't want anyone to disrupt us, beautiful. People might think you're in trouble," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Hot tears brimmed over and fell down my cheek, his hand stopping them from passing. Why in the world was this happening to me, now of all times?

"HIT THE LIGHTS BOBERT!" the man screamed, leaving a ringing in my ear. His arm snaked around my waist, making me sick to my stomach. "If I take my hand away, do you promise not to scream?" he asked in a serious voice.

I nodded furiously, desperately wanting this person off of me. On cue, the lights come on, straining my eyes as my pupils adjusted to the sudden brightness. The hand moved from in front of my mouth and I whipped around to face the culprit. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I found myself face to face to a man with greenish, blonde hair and smudged up clown make-up on his face. The recognition of who this person was hit me fast: the Joker.

I screamed as loud as my body would allow me to. The Joker quickly leapt forward and smashed his hand in front of my mouth, roughly grasping the hair on the back of my head with the other.

"Ah, you broke your promise," he paused to lick his ruby red lips. "That wasn't very nice of you, now was it? I think you're going to need to be punished for that." I heard a tiny 'click' and seconds later I was looking straight at the blade of a knife.

More tears fell from my eyes as I became paralyzed with fear. My eyes were glued onto the knife he was grasping in his hands, unable to get the image of it coming towards me out of my head.

"You liked this, huh? Here, I have a little…introduction story for ya. Do you wanna know how I got these scars?" he asked as if we were two people sitting in a coffee shop just enjoying the day. My chest began to heave up and down when the cold blade touched the part of my cheek his hand wasn't in front of. I didn't dare move an inch for the fear the blade would tear into my flesh.

"See, my father was a-" he began, but stopped himself when he seemed to think of something all of a sudden. "Don't worry, you'll hear that story another time. Let's take a picture together for good ol' Brucey to find when he arrives," he said, bending down to pick my phone up off the ground. "I trust you won't scream this time or," he glanced at his knife, "you know what will happen."

In the blink of an eye I was spun around, my back now to his front. I felt violated as he pulled me close to his body, his arm around my waist. I could hear him pressing buttons on my phone before his arm extended out in front of me. "Say cheese," he stated before taking the picture.

The Joker looked at the phone before showing me the picture. My face had a look of utter terror and shock written on it as tears cascaded down my red face, the monster behind me smiling widely. "Looks like you need a retake. But, un-for-tun-ate-_ly_, we don't have enough time." I heard him lick his lips as he sat my phone down on the ground face up.

I felt a harsh tug on my arm as I was lead to a white van I hadn't noticed before. I glanced over at the security office and saw a man lying dead on the floor, a smile carved into his face. I gagged slightly and felt more tears fall from my sore eyes as I was thrown in the back of the van, my head bashing onto the floor. One men and woman who appeared to be only a few years older than I climbed in after me before the door slammed. I quickly scurried over to the seat on the far left side and looked around the van. There were random objects all over the floor, including a black pistol.

That's when it hit me full force: I was being kidnapped by the most dangerous killer in all of Gotham. This was my last thought before I slipped into a cold darkness.

**Bruce Wayne's POV**

Bruce sped into the parking garage in his black lamborghini. He noticed two strange things right off the bat: one, the gates were wide open and two, all the lights were on. He stopped the car and climbed out as quickly as possible.

"Jessica!" he yelled and looked around frantically. His eyes landed on a purse with contents splayed out all around it, including a cell phone…Jessica's cell phone.

He sped over and picked it up. What he saw made his whole body shake in fury. He stared into the dark eyes of the man he'd written off as a nobody just days before.

"JESSICA!!" he bellowed in anger, still holding onto a bit of hope that she would crawl out from behind of a car with just a few scratches. When this light was burned out completely by nothing but the sound of cars driving past, he used his own phone to call Gordon at the police department.

"Gordon speaking," said the voice on the other line.

"Gordon, it's Bruce Wayne. I need you and your men down at the Wayne Parking Garage immediately," he said, his voice coated in rage, a vengeful fire burning in his eyes.

"Why? What's happened?" he asked on the other line.

"My goddaughter's been taken by the Joker," he replied venomously.


	4. Suspicious Behavior

**A/N: I would like to thank Something Not So Normal, eyeluv2d, Piratestorm, Lovely Hime, OktoberBlues, KB Kerns, Amaya the Winged Fox, White Trash Beautiful, bellaswanbg, sweetlouie678 and Cry Blood Tears for reviewing, adding this to their favorite stories/story alert and/or adding me to their author alert. You guys are amazing! Remember to review and tell me what all you wonderful readers think :D**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of the Batman characters, nor will I ever. I do own Jessica Wayne, all original characters and the plot. Now on with the story!**

**EDIT: I deleted the original copy of this chapter for reasons expressed in previous chapters. **

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My head felt like it was going to explode as the worst headache I'd ever had began to set in. A rush of voices hit my ears, though I dared not open my eyes. I knew I was still in the van and I didn't want to draw any attention to myself quite yet.

Maybe I could jump out of the car. I was right by the door after all. What if they shot me, though and then captured me yet again? I was still in the traumatized stage and I wasn't completely sure that my legs would be able to carry me in this state. It seemed a lot easier to lie on the seat, faking unconsciousness, for the time being. Once we got to wherever it was they were taking me, I would strategize an escape plan. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the only female in the car.

"What are we going to do with her, J?" the young woman asked.

"Play a few games with her. Figure out what exactly she was doing at the fancy-smancy Wayne Manor," the Joker replied, the mere sound of his voice making me cringe. "As soon as her pretty head wakes up, the games will beg-_in_," he said, putting an extra emphasis on the last syllable.

I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down my back at the sound of his cold voice and cruel intentions.

"Looks like she's finally movin', boss," said a man who seemed to be seated beside me.

A stream of obscenities ran through my brain as the realization that I could no longer lie here pretending to be knocked out hit me. Taking in a deep breath to brace myself for whatever was to come, I slowly opened my eyes.

"Yup, she's awake," said the same deep voice as before.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I was forcefully thrown out of my fetal position and onto the floor as the van came to a sudden halt.

"Home sweet home, fellas," said the Joker before breaking into his crazy laughter. I looked up to my right to see just who had rated me out; it was the man whom was referred to as Bob in the parking garage. He opened the sliding door of the van and jumped out. Just as I was about to lift myself up off of the dirty floor, Bob's hand grasped my hair and pulled me roughly out of the van.

I was no longer able to hold my tongue. "Oww, you asshole!" I stated rather loudly. A man should know never to mess with a girl's hair in the first place.

"You're in no position to be talking to me like that, little missy," he replied icily into my ear, tugging at my hair once more for emphasis.

"Now, now, play nicely you two," said the Joker who had just walked around the side of the car. "Take her to my room," he commanded before walking towards the back of the van.

My heart slammed into my chest as his words sank in: what could he possibly want me in his room for? As a number of terrifying scenarios began to play out in my mind, the girl from earlier stepped out of the passenger side door. When her eyes landed on me, a disgusted look came upon her face and she immediately began to glare at me. I racked my brain to try and remember what I could have possibly done to her as two other men climbed out of the very back of the van. I looked up to the sky to see if I could get any indication of what time it was: the sun was just beginning to rise. That had to have meant we'd been driving all night. I shivered once more as I realized they'd probably stopped at various locations throughout the drive to commit more horrendous crimes while I'd been passed out. I quickly looked over myself to make sure I was still in one piece. There was a rip in the knee of my now scuffed up jeans, and a bruise in the shape of a hand on my left forearm. I thanked God that that was all it was, because I knew it definitely could have been much worse.

Suddenly, I found myself being pulled in the direction of an old warehouse. I frantically looked around to see if I could pinpoint any landmark to get some sort of an indication of where we were located, but we were simply in one of the many beat-up alleyways in Gotham. Someone who was very familiar with the city may have been able to figure out where they were, but I still had an untrained eye for the city.

Bob led me into the building and down a creaky hallway. He opened a door on the right side and threw me in, causing me to land harshly on my knees.

"Stay here, and don't even think about trying to leave," he said angrily before slamming the door. I could hear his heavy footsteps heading back down the hall and didn't get up until they were gone. I shakily rose up from the floor, and began surveying the room. There was an old looking mattress resting on a bed frame that looked as if it had been sitting outside by a dumpster for a few weeks. On the mattress was a purple-colored sheet that was lying nicely on the bed, as if someone had recently made it. I shook my head in confusion at this act of tidiness, wondering why he would even bother. It was probably just the way the Joker's crazy mind worked.

My eyes rose up above the mattress where a window was framed in the wall. As if by some miracle, it appeared just big enough for me to fit through. Without any hesitation, I quickly jumped up onto the bed and peered out of the window. The only thing visible was the brick building across the street. I turned my head to the right and saw the white van we'd arrived in parked by the curb. There was no one in sight. I began fumbling with the old lock on the window which looked like it hadn't been touched in years, causing it to stick slightly. With a bit of force, I finally managed to push it to the left, successfully loosening the window. I pulled it up quickly and stepped up on the headboard to give myself some leverage. Pushing up and over, my upper torso was now outside of the window, the taste of freedom fresh on my tongue. I gasped in fear as I felt a strong hand grasp my ankle and pull me mercilessly right back through. I landed on the bed with a harsh 'plop' before two hands gripped my sides and flipped me over onto my back. Less than a second later the Joker was straddling my hips. I glared up into his dark eyes, now angry at myself for having come so close to freedom, only to have it ripped away from me.

"You weren't trying to leave me were you?" he asked with a disappointed look on his face. "I didn't think you were that _STUPID_!" he said, yelling the last word. I uncontrollably jumped at his sudden outburst - he definitely had some anger issues. "Now, you're gonna tell me what exactly you were doing at Brucey Wayne'_s-a,_" he said, still straddling my waist. My head began to pound as he took out a knife and pressed it against my throat.

"I-I'm his cousin. I moved here a w-week ago," I replied, silently cursing myself for stuttering. It wasn't easy to talk when you had a knife pressed to your throat. I didn't like having to tell him any information, but I didn't see any other way out of this situation.

"Interesting. Where's your mommy and daddy?" he asked, throwing me back a bit. I hadn't mentioned that Bruce was my godfather as well. As far as he knew I could have been attending Gotham University and decided to move here to be closer to the campus. I couldn't push back the thought that there was something in his eyes that was taunting me. That somehow he knew my parents were gone…but there was no way that was possible.

"They're dead," I said angrily, my voice involuntarily cracking on the last syllable.

"Aww, how tragic," he said, though there was no sympathy in his voice whatsoever. I tried to hold back the tears that were beginning to form, hoping that they wouldn't cascade over. Just when I thought I was beginning to cope…

He gently rubbed my face with his leather glove as if trying to soothe me, while the other was still pressing the knife against my throat. I hissed in pain as he pushed his weapon down hard enough to create a cut on the left side of my neck, though it wasn't deep enough to cause any true harm. As I felt the blood sliding down my skin and onto the mattress, a single tear slide down my right cheek.

"You think that hurts? If you try and escape again I won't be so kind-_ah_," he said before pulling my head up and kissing my forehead roughly. After what seemed like an eternity, although it was only about five seconds, he threw my head back down on the mattress, causing it to bounce back up due to the sheer force of the blow. Seeming to be finished with me, he pushed himself off of the mattress and began striding towards the door.

Feeling angry about the effect he had on me moments before, I found myself unable to hold my tongue for the second time. "Bruce's going to find me you know. He won't stop until he does. You'll be locked up in Arkham again in no time," I said defiantly, sitting up on the bed and facing him with a new-found confidence.

He turned around slowly, his sheer posture making me wish I hadn't said anything. "Just keep telling yourself that, doll. Brucey doesn't care about you. If he did, don't you think he would have visited you sometime in the past five years? You're just a burden to him," he said, taking a step closer, "a stray dog that showed up on the front steps of his lavish home. He's probably throwing one of his bachelor parties or fucking some chick as we speak-_ah_," he said, now standing directly in front of me.

"You're wrong. You're just a crazy psychopath," I said shaking my head. His words, however, proved to have some sort of an effect on my emotions as more tears began to run down my red cheeks. "And how did you know he hadn't seen me in five years?" I asked curiously, hate dripping with every word.

"I know a lot more about you than you think," he said and licked his lips. There was a huge smile on his face now, showing off his yellow teeth. "And as for the crazy part, maybe I do have a few nuts and bolts loose," he said. He laughed loudly before stalking out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

This couldn't have been some random kidnapping. To know this much information about me…no, he must have been planning this since I got in the city. He probably saw me walking around town with Bruce, and, realizing that I was an easy target – a young woman in a new city – decided that I was the best way to get some money from Bruce. He'll probably put some sort of ransom on me, though that didn't sound at all like the Joker I'd seen on the news or in the papers. Money never seemed play any part in his crimes. Whatever role I may play in all this, it has to be a part of a bigger scheme. He couldn't have just kidnapped me for the sake of kidnapping me…could he?

With all of these disturbing thoughts running around in my mind, I took a seat on the edge of the bed and waited.

**Bruce Wayne's POV**

Bruce was currently sitting in Gordon's office, his head in his hands. It was six in the morning and he hadn't slept a wink all night. 'How could this happen? I was supposed to take care of her?' he thought to himself for the hundredth time since he first found Jessica's purse and belongings on the ground at the parking garage. Seeing that picture on her phone made him sick to his stomach. The police department had found the dead body of a thirty-nine year old security guard in his office and collected all of the surveillance footage. The team and Bruce watched the tape over and over again, a professional lip reader on hand, trying to see if they could find any motive to this kidnapping. Sure, Bruce Wayne was the richest man in Gotham, but that was still no reason to kidnap a girl no one else even knew existed. They all came to the conclusion that the Joker had had his men watching the manor for God knows how long. That was the only way they could've known about Jessica unless they seen the two of them strolling around the city together.

Bruce had sent some officers down to the manor to stand guard and search the perimeter, but they found no trace of anything. Just some tire tracks that could have very well been made by him. He was currently having Alfred go through the security footage as well to see if he could find anything out of place, but he wouldn't find out the outcome of that search for a few hours.

Gordon then stepped into the room with a packet of papers in his hand. "We have some possible locations of the Joker's hideout. I'm sending my men out tonight when it's dark to about ten places in the city. Old warehouses, abandoned homes, alleyway pubs, everything," he said as he opened a file. "I had this faxed in from Reston County Police Department. It's Jessica's file. Has her picture, age, height, weight, all of the information we'll need to send out to the news stations. We'll have her picture up in the evening news tonight as well as tomorrow's paper," he said and handed her file to Bruce.

Bruce looked down at her face: it was last year's yearbook picture. She was wearing a huge smile, her brown hair parted to the side, falling just past her shoulder. Not a lot of make-up, but just enough to make her look like she truly took care of herself. He sighed, thinking about what she could be going through at that moment, all of the emotions that she must be feeling. How much of a failure she thought he was…

There was no way he was going to wait for the police to find her. No, it was his job to protect this city from people like the Joker. More importantly, it was his job to protect Jessica. He would have to go out tonight. Not as Bruce Wayne, though - as the Batman.


	5. A Little Drive

**A/N: I'm reading Breaking Dawn right now, but I pulled myself away from it to write this chapter for all you lovely readers! Oh, and the scene in here is NOT the scene from the movie with the mob bosses. I just wanted to make that clear ahead of time haha. Remember to review if you like the story; it means a lot to me to know what you all think :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in the Batman series. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. On with the story!**

It had been approximately two hours since my last encounter with the Joker. The only human interaction I'd had in that time period was when a younger man, whom I later learned was named Cole, came in to put some stuff on the window and locked the door behind him. Once he'd left, I desperately tried to pry the window open, and upon finding that it wouldn't budge, punched a wall out of anger. Now I was stuck with a sore hand, and had lost one of my possible escape routes. I had spent the entirety of the two hours seated on the bed or pacing around the room, deciphering the Joker's actions, as well as continuing to formulate an escape plan. Based on his words from our conversation, if one could even call it that, I deducted that there was a high possibility that the Joker had indeed been stalking me since I'd arrived in Gotham. Yes, it was a very iffy conclusion to come to, but I didn't want to firmly state that something beyond a kidnapping was taking place here for I wasn't sure if my mind could handle that at this point in time, nor did I want to completely rule the possibility out. I found that coming up with some sort of reasoning to all of this would help to keep me sane for the time being.

Throughout this period, my neck was still stinging painfully from where the Joker had cut me. I could feel the dried blood smeared across my neck, and had to quickly push this visual out of my mind as my stomach began to get queasy.

I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of a car door slamming just outside of the now sealed window, and I jumped up out of my seated position to once again peer outside. I could make out Cole's face in the passenger side mirror, but couldn't tell who was in the driver's seat. I heard the door behind me open and whipped my head around to see the Joker stalking towards me. Before I had time to react, he grabbed my waist and, much to my displeasure, lifted me up off the bed.

My fight or flight instinct kicking in full force, I immediately began to put up a struggle. "Don't touch me!" I screamed, and forcefully punched him in the stomach.

This plan backfired as I received a hard punch to the jaw. The blow would have certainly knocked me to the ground had he not been holding me up, and I could already feel the bruise forming on my face.

"I don't have time to play games with you right now. They'll be _plen-_ty of time for that later," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "We're going to go on a little drive now." With that, he set me down on the floor and dragged me down the hall and out the door to where the van was parked. With the door already wide open, I was able to see that Bob was the one behind the wheel, with the "glaring" girl seated in the row I was expected to get in. As I climbed up into the vehicle, I noticed the youngest guy sitting in the back with a big, black bag beside him. I shivered at the thought of what could be inside of it, reasoning tht it was probably filled with weapons. The Joker slid into the van and sat right beside me, slamming the door behind him. I jumped at the bang that reverberated through the car – loud noises were beginning to have that effect on me now.

"A little jumpy aren't ya?" the Joker asked quietly in my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear, and I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down my spine. It was then that the beginning of the unexpected happened. Without warning, the Joker placed a single kiss on the sensitive spot below my ear, causing my heart to skip a beat and my breathing to unintentionally speed up.

Not wanting to meet his face, I turned my head to the left only to be taken aback by the look of sheer anger and hatred on the young woman's face. In agitation, she herself turned her head to the left to look out the window. It was then that it hit me, the reason as to why she despised me so much: she had a thing for the Joker. I couldn't hide the look of disgust that ran across my face as this realization hit. He was a raging lunatic after all. I was in no way planning on "taking her man" either. In fact, I wasn't planning on being here much longer in the first place.

"Everything's in the bag, right Nick?" Cole asked from the front seat.

I heard a quick rustling noise from behind me before Nick responded. "Yup, everything's here," he said, a smile heard on his voice. In fact, everyone in the van seemed visibly happy excluding the girl beside me who was still sulking. With this confirmation, Bob started the car and sped off down the alley, turning onto the main street amongst the unsuspecting pedestrians. Cole turned on the radio and "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine blasted through the speakers. My breath caught in my throat as the song took me back to my home in Reston. All of the nights my friends and I had stayed up until four in the morning playing Guitar Hero, my best friend Carly always wanting to excel at this song in particular. I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall, not wanting to show any weakness in this desperate situation.

Helping to distract me from the song, the Joker's arm wrapped around my shoulders causing my heart to jump in fear. The familiar tingly sensation that one gets when their hair is played with overtook all of my senses, and I could feel the Joker curling my already wavy hair around his finger. His knee was touching mine, which caused me even more discomfort. I had an immense feeling of guilt; people playing with my hair was always something I'd enjoyed, and now seemed to be no exception. Deciding that I shouldn't sit here and take this, I moved forward, only to be yanked right back in place by that one chunk of hair.

"What's wrong? You don't like it?" he asked in my ear with the lick of his ruby red lips. He let out one of his loud, booming laughs. "Well, I hope you'll enjoy what we're about to do as much as I'm going to," he said as the car slowed to a stop.

My heartbeat began to pound in my ears as I realized we were parked outside of a tall building that looked as if it had once been an apartment complex, but now was just another abandoned location. Joker opened the sliding door and stepped out, and as I hesitated to follow him, I received a hard shove to my side.

"Get out you slut," the girl said viciously in my ear, but low enough so that only I could hear her. I looked at her with a mix of anger and shock before climbing out as well. Oh, how I wished I could tell her exactly what I thought of her pathetic self in that moment. After all, I wasn't the one lusting after a psychopath.

"This is gonna be fun. I love this job, I really do," the Joker said excitedly as he took my hand in his and began pulling me into the building. "Angela, Cole, you come with us. Nick and Bob, stay and fix up the toys," he ordered with a huge smile on his painted face.

Was he planning on bombing the place? What if there were other people in here? My mind began to race, creating horrendous scenarios of what lay ahead of us. He'll probably go ahead and do away with me. I wasn't worth anything to him, and certainly not worth keeping. We began making our way down a set of stairs that were off to the side of the main floor where Nick and Bob were staying. Soon we found ourselves standing before a large metal door that was being guarded by a man who was nosily looking through a medium sized window that gave a good view what lay behind it. Due to his preoccupancy, he didn't see us approach. Deciding to see for myself what he found so interesting, I peered around his shoulder to see about six men dressed in suits in the room seated around the table discussing something. The Joker let go of my hand, which I'd forgotten he'd been holding, and walked up behind the man quietly.

"Why hello there," he greeted with the lick of his lips.

"What the f-," the man began angrily, but immediately ceased talking when he saw who exactly he was facing.

"Aw, what's the matter? You look scared," he stated in mock concern, and he wasn't wrong. The man's mouth was open slightly in disbelief, his eyes wide with fear.

The Joker took out his knife and pressed it against his cheek, grasping the now terrified man's face with his other hand.

"It's the scars isn't it?" he asked with the nod of his head. "Do you want to know how I got them?" he asked, just like he'd asked me hours ago in the parking garage. As if recalling this as well, he turned around and gave me a little wink before turning back to the man. I watched the scene in front of me with batted breath, desperately hoping he wasn't going to kill this man.

"See, my father was...a drinker, and a _fiend_! And one night he comes home crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife and defends herself - he doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit-_ah_. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me, and says, 'Why so _SERIOUS_?' So, he comes at me with the knife. 'Why so _SERIOUS?_'" he yelled, shaking in anger. My heartbeat felt as if it was going to pop out of my chest as tears formed in my eyes in pity for this man.

The Joker turned his head and locked eyes with me, excitement shining in his dark gaze. "Why so serious?" he asked simply as he quickly moved the knife to the man's throat and sliced it open.

My whole world seemed to stop in that moment, everything around me freezing in place. A feeling of complete coldness rushed over me, making me feel as if I had just been submerged into a tub of ice. A man's life had just been taken before my eyes, and it was nothing like it is in the movies. This was real. I watched as the blood gushed out of the open wound and had to quickly close my damp eyes, though the picture remained engraved in my mind.

I heard the Joker's footsteps coming in my direction, and opened my eyes to glare at him angrily. "Don't worry 'bout it, sweetie. I'll protect you," he said with a laugh before slapping me lightly in the face. "Cole, you stay out here and watch. I want to have some fun first," he said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Angela, take her upstairs with you. Don't. Let. Her. Out. Of. Your. Sight," he said, putting an extreme emphasis on each word.

I felt myself being pulled back up the stairs harshly and simply complied, not having enough strength to fight at the moment. The shock was still fresh and I couldn't shake that feeling of absolute helplessness. I tripped once on the way up, but was forced to quickly regain my footing as Angela showed no sign of stopping.

It felt as if my arm was going to come out of its socket if this kept up, but relief flooded me when we finally reached the top of the stairs. I looked over the ground floor and saw Bob and Nick placing black things on the walls. They were ticking.

"Bombs? You're going to blow the place up? There are people down there!" I exclaimed angrily, my worst fears playing out right in front of me.

"That's the point, sweetheart," Nick replied with a smirk. He picked up the now empty black bag that had been in the back seat with him earlier and the three began discussing something about 'stupid mobsters'. I blocked their pointless dialogue out, not believing that I was currently surrounded by ticking bombs that could go off any moment now. I frantically looked over at one of them: '2:56:10.' The number was dwindling away as my kidnapper's henchmen continued to chat with ease. I jumped at a loud shout that came from downstairs followed by footsteps hurriedly coming up the stairs. In a matter of seconds the Joker and Cole appeared, both appearing unharmed, though shouts were still coming from downstairs.

"What'd do?" Angela asked energetically.

"He told them 'bout the bombs, then locked the sons of a bitches in the room," Cole answered excitedly. My mouth dropped at their complete lack of concern towards another human being's life. I felt an arm wrap around my waist and found myself being quickly guided out of the building.

"You're just going to leave them down there?" I asked the Joker angrily.

"That's the plan," he stated as we walked out the doors. I wished more than anything that I could run down there and save those people, but the image of the ticking bombs held me back. I looked up and saw Angela climbing into the van and quickly got in after her, followed closely behind by the Joker. He closed the door and we quickly sped off down the street. The bomb had to have been down to mere seconds at this point.

We were only about 30 seconds away, though we'd made it rather far due to Bob's reckless driving, when we heard a loud explosion from behind us. The screams of the innocent pedestrians lined up and down the streets broke my heart, and I didn't even try to hold back the tears that flowed freely down my cheeks. It was then that I began to understand why Bruce had never wanted me in Gotham.


	6. Pain and First Kisses

**A/N: Thanks to all of the people I mentioned in the last few chapters as well as SilverFang4190, Trapper Chavez, Mommys-Little-Nightmare, emilyrugburn, Laurenmlbc, hales03, CaptainSushi and SummerWolfCub for reviewing, adding me to their favorite authors/stories, and/or story alerts! Its means a lot to me that I'm getting such good feedback for this story :D Please keep the reviews coming you lovely readers!**

**Also, there was a question asked by the Laurenmlbc. It was whether or not Gordon knows Bruce Wayne is Batman and the answer is yes :) Though this is not true in the films, it is here. That's actually answered in this chapter! And sorry I didn't post this last night. I ended up going to the movies to see Hellboy 2 and Wanted at the drive-in with my family. I hope to have Chapter 7 up tonight, though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Batman characters. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. On with the story!**

The boom of the Joker's laugh eerily mingled with the explosion still shaking the city behind us. "The sound of my life. Chaos," he said excitedly, causing all of the others in the car to smile.

"See, Jessica, chaos is so much more beautiful than the normal day to day life," he explained, licking his lips excitedly before continuing. "If people expect what's going to happen there's no fun in any of it," he said as he rested his arm around my shoulders once again.

I scooted over to the left slightly to try and put some much needed distance between the two of us. Not to my surprise, Angela shot me a 'back up or die' look before staring back up at the Joker in admiration. Having noticed my movement, the Joker tightly gripped my arm and pulled me back beside him. "I could throw you to the dogs if you prefer," he whispered harshly, his fingers tightening and causing me to wince, "or you could be a good girl and not get hurt…that much," he said with the lick of his lips. "Which do you prefer?" he asked in amusement.

I sat in complete silence, preferring not to reply to his snarky remarks. "Pain" by Three Days Grace was now blasting through the speakers, and I let out a huff as the lyrical irony sank in. I could see Angela staring at me expectantly through my peripheral vision which only served to irritate me further. Her look was clearly begging me to continue with my arrogant streak, and I could only imagine how much she wished the Joker would just hurry up and finish me off already.

"The silent treatment, eh? That's not very nice is it?" he asked, faking concern.

I continued to stare straight ahead, allowing the lyrics to surround me.

_Anger and agony_

_Are better than misery_

_Trust me I've got a plan  
When the lights go off, you'll understand…_

"ANSWER ME!" he screamed, the sheer power of his voice changing the entire mood of the car in seconds. I visibly jumped, fear flooding my body. His voice sounded as if all of hell was coming through it.

"I'd rather die than be forced to stay here with _you_," I replied bravely and glared up at him. If he was planning on hurting me, which I knew he was, I might as well get my point across.

His face was contorted to reveal such anger that it appeared as if his eyes were going to bulge out of their sockets. I cringed as the van came to a sudden stop outside of the familiar warehouse. There was little he could do to me while confined in the car, but here he had all the space he needed to inflict unimaginable amounts of pain on me. And there was no doubt in my mind that he would.

It was only when he wrenched open the door that I realized he'd been gripping my hand tightly, roughly pulling me out of the car right behind him. The sudden movement left me no time to regain my footing, and before I knew what was happening I found myself face down on the asphalt. My little predicament didn't slow him down, however, as he merely began dragging me up onto the sidewalk. I quickly reached up and grabbed the other side of his hand so all of the pulling wouldn't be focused on my right arm, which was already becoming sore. I listened helplessly as his foot came in contact with the door, leaving it to loudly slam into the wall. Watching door after door pass by, I felt little relief when I felt him let go of my arm when we finally arrived in his room, leaving me to fall to the floor with a soft thud.

Out of nowhere, a sudden force came into contact with my abdomen, knocking the air out of me and creating a burning sensation in my stomach. I looked up just in time to watch the Joker haul his foot back once again and give another harsh blow to the exact same spot. Coughing, I curled into a ball in the hopes that this would serve as some kind of protection, but he relentlessly began to attack every other exposed part of my body. The assault seemed to continue for hours, though it was likely only a couple of minutes. There was a thick feeling in my throat, and, much to my disgust, I realized I was coughing up blood. My body was twitching slightly as bruises began to form all over my body. The only part he had managed to not attack was my face, which I could only feel slightly grateful for. I vaguely felt a tight grip on my arm before I was pulled up to smash into his body.

"This was your decision snuck-ums," he said, smacking his lips as he said it.

His hand curled around the back of my neck as the room around me began to spin. I vaguely felt his thumb caressing the base of her neck, causing me to stagger in a half-hearted attempt to move away from him. Looking up at him, I found myself gazing into a pair of black orbs that seemed to be sinisterly gleaming.

"Please," I begged weakly, realizing this was the only word I was able to get out. Though I'd put on a brave front before, I could no longer pretend that I was able to take everything he was giving me. I feared that if I continued my silent streak, I would be beat to death by the end of the night.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the immense amount of pain that was pulsating through my body. I was so focused on trying to regain a normal breathing pattern that it took me a moment to comprehend the latest assault that was occurring on a completely new part of my body. My eyes snapped open as full consciousness came back to find the Joker's lips fiercely attached to mine. Using all of the strength I could muster, I pushed my arms against his chest to shove him away, though this proved to be no good. He really was so much stronger than he looked. In disgust, I felt his tongue run along my bottom lip. Without a second thought, I bit down on it as hard as the little bit of energy I had left would allow.

He pulled back with a huge grin plastered on his face. There were a few specks of blood splayed across his bottom lip, and my stomach lurched as I watched him lick them up with ease. "You're feisty. I like that." He licked his lips hungrily, still staring down at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Have you ever tasted blood?" he asked as he ran his hand through my hair. "It's like swashing a penny around in your mouth," he explained, playing out the motion. "The metallic taste lingers on your taste buds," he brought his lips closer once again, "leaving you wanting more."

The feeling of his warm breath tickling my lips sent a shiver down my spine. If I were to move forward just an inch, my lips would come crashing into his. As the seriousness of everything hit me full force, I watched the room around me begin to spin at full force. The feeling of being lowered onto a soft surface finally pushed me over the edge, the last image being that of the Joker hovering over me before all I could see was darkness.

**Bruce Wayne's POV**

Bruce was standing at the window of his penthouse in the middle of Gotham. He'd bought this place two years earlier, but hadn't bothered to come here until now. It was best to stay in the heart of the city with Jessica kid-…. He still couldn't even think the word. Every time he thought of what she could be going through, his heart would catch in his throat and he would get sick to his stomach. She'd been gone for two and a half days now. Gordon had clearly warned him not to allow his Batman alter-ego to take control, though, despite his initial instincts.

"It'll be too suspicious if Batman goes after her this quickly. We're handling it now. Just give it a few days. You don't want him to figure out your secret, do you?" he had reasoned with him just yesterday.

He had to agree with Gordon. While the Joker may be crazy, he certainly wasn't stupid. Besides, they had Jessica's picture everywhere possible; every news station, the _Gotham Times_, posted around the city. One man claimed he'd seen her getting out of a van with the Joker and his men the same day the old Hill Apartments complex exploded. The cops had figured the Joker was behind this, and the man's account only further strengthened the police department's theories.

Bruce sighed and sat down in his chair, still looking down at the place he'd called home his entire life.

"Sir, Miss Rachel's here," Alfred said from behind him.

Bruce nodded once, hearing the clicks of high heels approaching only a few seconds later. He saw Rachel's figure come up beside him and immediately felt a small sense of calm wash over him. "Hey, Bruce," her sweet voice greeted. He always loved the way she said his name.

He looked up at her. "Hey," he said quietly. "What can I do for you?" he asked and stood up, walking over to the window yet again. It was as if he thought if he looked hard enough, he'd be able to make out Jessica from twenty stories up.

"I just wanted to say I'm so sorry about Jessica," she told him sincerely. "I'm joining Gordon in the case to find her, and Harvey's interested in helping in any way he can, too."

That name made his blood run cold: Harvey Dent. Oh, he believed in him all right; he believed he was the asshole who stole Rachel from him. He could never bring himself to say this to her, though, especially when he turned around and saw her standing there with a look of sadness and concern written on her face.

He walked over to her and nodded. "Thanks, Rach. That means a lot to me," he said sincerely, giving her a small smile.

She smiled back up at him. "Harvey's willing to have a press conference about it. He said there's a good chance the Joker will be watching to see if anything comes up about him. He seems rather vain. He'll want to know what the people are thinking about him. He enjoys hearing the citizens of Gotham ranting and raving about his crazy behavior," she told him in a business-like voice.

"I don't want to have one just yet…" he said. He knew a press conference would mean that Jessica really was in deep. He didn't know if he'd be able to cope with that realization yet.

She nodded in understanding. "Well, whenever you're ready just tell me," she said. "But we don't want to waste too much time."

He nodded with a faraway look in his eye.

Rachel put her hand on his shoulder lightly. "We're going to find her, Bruce. I promise, we're going to find her," she told him determinedly.

He looked up and met her eyes. "I know. If it's the last thing I do on this Earth, I'm going to make sure she's safe."

**Angela's POV**

Angela was sitting on the couch in the front room of the warehouse, flicking her knife up and down in agitation. The Joker had taken _her _in there six minutes ago, and he still wasn't back yet. What was so special about her, anyway? The Joker had told them two weeks ago to start looking out at the Wayne Manor. She could understand that. Bruce Wayne always seemed to be around, and she was suspicious that he had some type of connection to the Batman. He was also really tight with that Gordon fellow and the entire police department.

It wasn't until they'd first told him about the girl that he became interested at all in the stake out. It was as if he knew she was going to be showing up any day.

And she saw the way he looked at her. He'd never looked at anyone that way before. She'd been working with him for two years now and all he saw her as was another one of his henchmen! She did everything he asked, whenever he asked._ She_ was the one who was able to go on every mission with him. _She_ was the one who'd been with him the longest. _She _was the one who'd killed hundreds of people for him. Not her! NOT JESSICA WAYNE!

So why was it that _she_ got those looks from him? She wasn't even that amazing looking. Sure, she definitely wasn't ugly, but she wasn't even legal for God's sake!

This just wasn't fair. She knew she sounded like a child with a temper tantrum, but what would anyone think? She would do anything for him! She _had_ done anything for him. She loved him with all her heart.

If it was the last thing she did on this Earth, she would make sure Jessica was out of his life, their life, forever.


	7. The Great Escape

**A/N: Thanks again to all of the people I mentioned in previous chapters as well as SpottedHeart2646 and SmileyEmoGirl for reviewing/subscribing. Whoa! You all are amazing. Remember to review if you like it. It definitely helps get the chapters out quicker and it makes me feel happy :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot! **

The first thing that was absolutely clear to me upon waking up was the pain currently rushing through my body. I let out a soft groan as I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly to get used to the light. The bruises had dulled down to an achy sort of feeling, which wasn't nearly as bad as they had felt when the beating was taking place. It actually felt like some healing was taking place. Raising myself up with a sore arm to support my weight, I used the other hand to rub some sleep out of my eyes. Now that I was woken up a bit, I felt something strange pressing up against my abdomen. I pulled my shirt up to reveal a bandage that was covering a large area of my stomach. Hesitantly, I grabbed one of the edges and pulled it down slowly, winching as I tore it away from my skin. I gasped at the sight of blood on the inside of the bandage and then examined the wound itself. It was a yellowish-purple color now, but wasn't bleeding like it had before. A strong smell hit my nostrils instantaneously. It smelled like…a strong ointment.

Carefully as not to cause any more damage, I put the band-aid back on and pulled my shirt back down. Bending over slightly and clutching my abdomen, I realized it felt like it did after you'd done a hundred crunches the day before and you hadn't worked out in awhile. With a deep breath, I looked at the other side of the bed to find that it still had an indent in it as if someone had just gotten up. I slowly stood up out of the bed to examine the rest of my body. There were a series of bruises up and down my arms, and a few large ones on my legs. Though they certainly hurt, I was actually expecting much worse. It looked like someone had put ointment on a cut that was about halfway up her arm as well. As I noticed the yellowish tent of the bruises on my arms that matched that of my abdomen, I wondered just how long I had been asleep.

"Well look who decided to bless us with her presence after an impressive thirteen hours," the Joker said from the doorway. I quickly lifted up my head to watch him strut over to me, taking one hesitant step back as the memories from the previous day came flooding back. I gasped as I felt the cold wall come in contact with my back and squeezed my eyes together tightly, bracing myself for the blow. But said blow never came. Opening one of my eyes up slowly, I was shocked to find the Joker towering over me with a triumphant look on his face.

"Only bad girls get beaten, and you were a good girl last night. A _very_ good girl," he said, exaggerating the 'very.'

I allowed his words to sink in as my mind quickly ran through the events from last night. The beating was still fresh in my mind, but then all I could remember was passing out. That image of the Joker hovering over me as I lay helplessly on the bed burst into my thoughts, and my heartbeat picked up significantly, my eyes wide in fear.

"You didn't do anything, did you?" I whispered shakily.

He continued to smile down at me before touching my face lightly, and I quickly jerked away from his touch.

"See, it's that attitude that gets you in these predicaments," he said and licked his lips before laughing.

I checked myself over again, but could see no signs of foul play, minus the bruises that were caused before passing out. I felt…normal. I was still a virgin and, based on what my friends who had had sex told me, I was sure that I would feel some sort of pain if he had done something.

I raised my head to glare at him only to find that he had moved away from in front of me and was now making the bed.

"Why do you even bother?" I thought out loud.

"I have to make it look nice for company like you," he said, faking seriousness.

I sighed in agitation as I realized there was just no getting a straight answer out of this guy.

He then walked back over and took my hand in his. "We're going on another little ride today. I'll think you'll enjoy this even more than yesterday's," he said and walked out of the room, forcing me to follow in toe.

He guided me to the front room where Angela, Bob, Nick and Cole were all standing, watching the TV.

"The Joker strikes yet again. The recently abandoned Hill Apartment complex was struck yesterday at around 3:00 p.m., affecting the surrounding houses and killing an estimated twenty-five people. Analysts say they found the remains of six human bodies among the ashes, telling them that there were indeed people inside at the time of the explosion. Eye witnesses say that the recently kidnapped Bruce Wayne's goddaughter, Jessica Wayne, was seen with them around the time of the incident." I perked up at the sound of my name and my mouth opened slightly when my junior year school picture came onto the screen. I felt the Joker squeeze my hand tighter, and looked up to see what he was doing. His eyes were transfixed on the television screen, wearing a serious expression for once. "If anyone knows anything about her whereabouts, they are asked to call the Gotham Police Department or the DA's office immediately. All calls will be kept anonymous," the newscaster said before Angela turning the TV off.

She whipped around and immediately stalked towards me. "Looks like maybe someone _does _love you. Don't see why," she said as she walked past me to pick up her pocket knife which was on the coffee table. My eyes stung as I felt tears starting to form at the thought of what Bruce could be going through right now. Knowing him, he was probably feeling extremely guilty. That was just his nature. Even though this whole thing wasn't his fault, he probably felt it was.

"Let's go," the Joker hissed to everyone in the room before tugging me along with him to the van, which was parked in the same place it was always parked.

This time I was forced to sit in the very back with Nick, while the Joker decided to get behind the wheel. Bob was in the front as usual, and Angela and Cole sat in the middle row.

The car jolted as we suddenly sped off down the road, and I desperately clung to the handle on the side of the van. They must have taken the final row out to have more room to store things, as it appeared that another row of seats used to be back here. My thoughts were interrupted when my head bashed into the side of the van when the Joker made an unexpected turn. I glared at the back of the driver's seat as I rubbed my head with a groan.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my leg and looked down to see it belonged to Nick. I quickly moved out from under his touch and looked up at his face. Instead of seeing a harmful expression, however, I was shocked to see one filled with worry. "Sorry," he muttered.

I smiled at him lightly, still shocked by his gentle demeanor. "'S okay," I replied. Though it seemed rather dumb to think, maybe I finally had an ally in this situation.

Feeling like someone was staring at me, I took a chance and glanced at the front of the van. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw the Joker glaring at the two of us in the rear-view mirror. He wasn't really glaring at me for once, though; his attention was directed solely on Nick.

My companion seemed to notice this and immediately looked down at his hands. I sighed sadly and directed my attention back out the window. So much for that ally theory.

The car came to a sudden stop as we hit a red light. Curious as to what part of town we were in, I looked over at the street sign. 75th Street. I turned away with a sigh as I realized that number meant nothing to me, only to whip my head back around to stare back at the sign again. As if in a movie, I thought back to my first night at Wayne Manor, Tyler's voice echoing in my mind.

"_I live on 256 75th Street…It's not a bad place to live, but not the best either."_

My heart was full on racing now, and I could not believe I remembered such a seemingly insignificant detail of that conversation. I chanced a look down at the lock on the back door to find it was indeed unlocked. This was my chance, possibly the only chance I'd get for a long time. I looked over at Nick to see he was distracted by his conversation with Angela and Cole. The Joker was cussing about the stupid streetlights in Gotham and Bob was agreeing with them.

Before I had time to even fully think about what I was doing, I had already wrenched the door open and started running as fast as I could. I looked over at one of the houses and saw a black 250 located on the mailbox, and was pleased to see that the next house I'd ran past said 252.

"Hey!" Nick's voice yelled from a ways behind me as he still sat in the van, probably in shock about what was happening. I heard a car door open and footsteps running furiously behind me, signaling that I had to pick up the pace.

"TYLER!" I yelled as loud as possible as I passed 254. "TYLER!"

All of my bruises were cursing me as I pushed my legs to move as quickly as they could, but my brain told me to keep going. Running up the stairs of the house labeled 256, I just about cried tears of joy when Tyler opened the door just in the nick of time. After pushing him in the house, I locked the door as quickly as I could and rushed over to the window. Pushing the curtains out of the way, I saw the Joker looking at the house, a furious expression on his face. The others, including Nick, were standing by the car looking completely helpless. Even from this distance I could see Nick trembling, and felt a twinge of remorse for the trouble he was surely going to get in for allowing me to escape. But more than anything, I felt relief.

"Oh my God, Jessica?" Tyler asked in disbelief from behind me.

I turned around and was immediately engulfed in a hug. "W-what?…How?...Jesus, you're all bruised up," he said, studying me at arm's length before pulling me into another hug. Although I barely knew him, I hugged him back. It was a relief to have someone outside of that forsaken warehouse to see and feel. I barely even felt the tears fall down my face as I hugged him.

"I've got to call Bruce," he said hurriedly and ran to the kitchen. I looked out the window once again and saw the Joker staring at me. At first he looked angry, and I genuinely feared he was going to break through the door and drag me back to the van. Instead, he merely smiled at me. "I'll see you soon," he mouthed and licked his lips.

I watched in awe as he walked around the van and got in. Glancing back down at Nick, it was clear that he had been hit as he was rubbing the side of his face with a look of agony. He met my eyes for a second and I gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry," I whispered, even though he obviously couldn't hear me. He shook his head slightly before climbing into the back. Before he had a chance to fully close the door, the Joker sped off down the street.

Tyler came back out of the kitchen in a rush. "He said he'll be here in five minutes," he said and looked me over again.

"Gosh, Jess…you look horrible," he said bluntly.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"I-I didn't mean to sound cruel…I-"

"It's ok. I know I look really bad," I said with a sigh.

He nodded. "Sit down," he said, indicating a chair. I gladly took him up on his offer as he walked back into the kitchen. He came back out a few seconds later with a bottle of water.

"Thanks," I said and opened it, drinking half of it in one gulp. I hadn't realized until now that I hadn't eaten or drank anything in about three days.

The two of us sat in silence as I finished up the bottle of water. Tyler offered me another, but I declined. There were too many emotions rushing through me at the moment to be able to consume anything else. Tyler appeared to be in complete shock that I was sitting in front of him, but didn't ask any questions, which I was so grateful for.

The silence was broken after about three minutes by a roaring sound from outside. A loud screech was heard as the driver slammed on the brakes. A few seconds later the door was thrown open to reveal a frantic Bruce. He ran over and lifted me off of the chair, giving me the biggest and most needed hug I'd ever received.

"I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…" he repeated over and over again.

The tears began to pour from my eyes as I hugged him back.

"You're home now. Everything's going to be ok," he whispered comfortingly.

I wanted to believe him so much, and part of me did. The other part kept going back to the Joker just minutes before causing a chill to run down my spine.

"_I'll see you soon."_

* * *

**Don't worry, this story is far from over. Please tell me what you think!**


	8. The Press Conference

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews

**A/N: Thanks to everyone in mentioned in past chapters as well as deadsmurf, Warriors girl 1, Via, Lorendiac, Devryn, FantomeAngeDarcy and Chloe Magea. I know this is a little late in the story, but I've decided to switch to first person POV. I think it'll help my writing and there won't be as many repetitive words or grammar problems. Plus, for all of you who like to imagine yourself in Jessica's shoes, I think this will make the story better and, not to mention, easier to read. Now, when it's in another person's POV (aka Bruce's) I'm going to keep it third person omniscient. Also, thoughts will now be italicized. Another thing, constructive criticism is great and I really welcome it. However, downplaying my intelligence is not something I will tolerate. That's all I'm going to say about that. Now read on wonderful readers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. **

**Joker Town**

The Joker jumped back in the car and sped off down the street. Everyone was being completely silent; even Bob had the decency to turn the radio off.

"W-what are we going to do now?" Nick said from the back. His voice was so small and tentative it was hard to tell whether he meant for anyone else to hear his question or not.

Bob decided to speak up next. "Boss, we have to leave the warehouse. Sh-"

"I KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO!" the Joker roared. Everyone, even the bad-ass Angela, jumped. They all knew they were going to be in for it. Even though there was nothing most of them could have done when Jessica decided to jump out, the Joker would find some way to punish them all.

The van was filled with an eerie silence the rest of the way back. When they were finally stopped in front of the warehouse, the Joker got out and slammed his door. Bob had to lean down and check to make sure he hadn't broken the already loose hinge.

All the remaining henchmen looked at one another before following suit. Nick decided to lag behind the rest of the group; he had already been hit once and he didn't want to be forced to endure more injury.

The group of henchmen slowly made their way into the warehouse and waited for their boss to appear.

Meanwhile, the Joker was sitting on his bed; the same bed he had shared with Jessica just this morning. He was having some trouble comprehending how he got himself in this predicament.

Stupid Nick. He's too young, too stupid, for his own good. How could he just sit there and watch her run out of the fucking van!?

He got up and punched the wall, causing the paint to chip even more and a small hole to appear. He stormed out of the room and back into the front of the warehouse where all his "trusty servants" were standing.

Nick swallowed hard. The Joker immediately saw his weakest link.

"Tell me Nicholas, what was it exactly you and Jessica were talking about before you allowed her to ESCAPE!?" he questioned, breaking at the last word.

"I-I was just asking her if she was ok-"

"And you found this more important than following my instructions? Tell me Nicholas," he licked his lips, "what were my instructions again?"

Nick continued to look down at his hands. This just irritated his boss even more and the Joker took out his gun. He pointed at Nick's temple.

"ANSWER ME!"

"You told me to make sure she…she didn't get out," he replied. He felt a bead of sweat fall down the side of his face.

"And what did I tell you to do if, by chance, she was to get out?" the Joker asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"To shoot her," he replied nervously. _I couldn't shoot her. She was finally free._

"Now what exactly is so fucking complicated about that? Does your brain not comprehend simple requests?" the Joker asked before letting out one of his inhuman laughs.

He slapped Nick lightly in the face as a football coach would do to one of his players.  
"You're lucky I'm actually in a pretty good mood right now," he said, a smile now playing on his face. "See, you're going to play a major…part in my next little scheme-ah" he said and turned to face the others. Nick let out a relieved sigh when the gun was finally pointed away from him.

"You mean…we're going to get her back?" Angela asked. _What the hell is it with this girl?  
_  
"But of course," he said and licked his lips in excitement. "It's all part of the plan."

Jessica's POV

I'm currently sitting in Gordon's office at the Gotham Police Department. I just had to endure four hours of interviewing by, not only Gordon, but Harvey Dent, Rachel Hawes, Bruce and the mayor. They all wanted to know exactly where the Joker's hideout was, what type of things he had done to her, if he'd mentioned anything about future plans; all the regular stuff. It was all so repetitive I'd managed to memorize my previous answers word for word by the third conversation.

I sighed deeply and walked over to the window that overlooked the city. Looking at it now you wouldn't think someone like the Joker even existed. Each light in every skyscraper seemed to be turned on, creating the magical sensation of it being noon in the middle of the night. There was no screaming or explosions. No cackling laughter filling every inch of the room. No knifes or blood. It was a great feeling; freedom.

I heard a sudden rush of voices enter the room and looked over to see Harvey Dent standing in the doorway. He gave me a small smile. I smiled back and turned around fully to face him. He really wasn't such a bad guy.

"I was just discussing the idea of a press conference with Bruce," he shut the door, "and he said it's all up to you," he said and walked over to stand in front of me. He had his hands in his pockets and was wearing a smile, though there was the constant air of seriousness around him; he was definitely a politician.

"A press conference?" I asked nervously. I was never one for public speaking and you couldn't get more public than a press conference.

"Just to show the community that you are indeed safe," he said and picked up a newspaper that was on Gordon's desk. "You've been the talk of the town," he said as he referred to the front cover. There was a huge picture of me on the cover with an article beside it.

I sighed and looked back up at him. "What do you think I should do?"

"Well," he thought about it for a second, "I think it would be a good idea. It will show the Joker that he can't affect our city as much as he thinks he can. It will show the citizens that we can overcome this chaos that has recently gripped this city." He let out a sigh.

I could now see the lines of stress on his face. He was such a handsome man that any signs of imperfection seemed…wrong; out of place.

I nodded. "We should do it then," I said more confidently than I felt. The truth was I had a fear inside me that the Joker was going to show up and steal me away again. But next time, I wouldn't be so lucky as to escape after three days. If it would have been the Joker in the backseat with me today instead of Nick I know I wouldn't have escaped. I probably would have got the worst beating of my life, actually.

He smiled with a look of relief. "I hoped you would say that."

"Well why didn't you start persuading me to do it when you first walked in?" I asked with a laugh.

"Didn't want to seem pushy," he said with a shrug. "I'll go let the others know your decision." He made his way back over to the door.

As his hand touched the handle I asked, "Will I have to speak at the conference?" I know I sounded like a shy child on show and tell day, but I always despised show and tell anyway.

"Not if you don't want to. I'll do all the talking if you'd like. You can just stand by and look pretty," he said with a warm smile, showing off his sparkling teeth.

I smiled back; the first real smile in days. I sat down in the chair I'd occupied before and picked up the newspaper with my face on the cover. Beside me was a mugshot of the Joker. Seeing his dark eyes staring up at me caused a shiver to go down my spine; he still had the same affect on me when he wasn't even in the same room.

The same boom of voices came back in and I looked over to see a disgruntled looking Bruce. I gave him a smile. "It's my decision," I told him, already knowing what he thought.

"I know. But are you sure you want to do it? They could ask some tough questions," he said sitting down in the chair beside me.

"I'm sure," I said, remembering me and Harvey's conversation. "Harvey said he could do all the talking. And I don't mind having to answer a few questions. I've had to answer a billion already." I took a deep breath. "I think it'll help me get over it, too," I said truthfully. I knew I was one of the lucky people who escaped a mere three days after being captured, but it still affected me. Spending too much time with a psychopath is bad for your health.

Bruce nodded in understanding. "I'll be right there beside you, then," he said with a smile.

**Press Conference**

Harvey Dent was currently speaking to a room of journalists and photographers who were clicking away at their cameras. I was standing beside him, wearing a pair of khaki's and a pink dress shirt. I could feel my cheeks were slightly flushed; being in crowded rooms always does that to me.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming," Harvey said confidently. I couldn't help but look at him in admiration. He somehow managed to stay strong through any ordeal.

"Now, I'm going to allow Jessica to answer a few questions," he announced. He gave me a quick wink before I took over his position at the podium. I looked at the crowd with a blank expression. The journalists all waved their pens in the air, repeatedly yelling "Jessica! Jessica!"

Harvey pointed at a stern looking woman in the center of the group. The rest of the people in the room grew quiet and alert.

"Jessica, what sort of crimes did you witness while in the hands of the Joker?"

"I watched the bombing of the old apartment complex take place-"

"How many men were there in that building?" a man in the front row asked.

"There were six men in the room the Joker entered and there were six of us," I replied easily. These were the types of questions I'd been asked before.

"Did the Joker ever mention why he's committing these crimes?" another man farther back in the crowd questioned in an agitated voice.

"No…it was like…he didn't need a reason to do something. He just…did it," I said, sounding a little distant. I felt a hand on my back and looked over to see Bruce guiding me down the stairs.

"That will be all," Harvey said in the microphone before following us to the other room as well. The lights were blinding and I was glad when we were finally away from them.

I took a deep breath before asking Harvey, "How do you do that all the time?"

He shrugged. "You just get used to it. You did a great job. Amazing for a first timer," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," I said as we walked out of the building. There were two cops now walking us to our separate cars.

"I'll see you tonight at your fundraiser," Bruce said to Harvey.

"You really don't have-"

Bruce held up his hand to stop him mid-sentence. "I told you before, I want to do it."

I shook my head slightly after we parted ways with the District Attorney. "You're not going to embarrass him, are you?"

"Of course not," he said with a smirk. I laughed slightly and looked over at the busy street. My heart caught in my throat as I saw a familiar white van pass by blaring "Pain" by Three Days Grace.


	9. His for the Taking

**A/N: Thanks to everyone I mentioned in past chapters and musicluver17, A Girl Called Sorrow, MotRD, SoxChick09, padfootblack15, XxXJockersWildXxX, PatrickDempseylover, fatolliecat, Esuerc Noma and letthedreamdescend. You're all amazing! Also, thanks to Devryn, I'd like to apologize for the mistake made in Rachel DAWES' name in the last chapter. I accidentally typed "Hawes" lol. I won't be able to put up another chapter until sometime Sunday or Monday :( I'm going on vacation this weekend so just re-read the chapters until I get back haha :D Remember to review if you like it! It definitely makes my day. **

**Btw, here's what Jessica's dress looks like: /assets/images/dresses/assymdress/red1.jpg**

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own any of the Batman characters. I own Jessica, any original characters and the plot. **

I looked my self over in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. It was only one hour until Harvey's fundraiser and I was feeling a little nervous. I was never the type who really cared about what others thought of me, but being in a room full of people who were going to be staring at me all night definitely brought butterflies to my stomach.

I chose to wear a v-neck, red dress with a pair of black stilettos. I would have bought a handbag to match, but since the fundraiser was being held in the penthouse I currently resided in, I didn't see the point. My hair was as straight as I could get it seeing as how it was naturally wavy. I'd even put on a little bit of make-up; my friend's would be so proud.

After one last look in the mirror, I walked down the hall that led to the spacious living room. The caterer's were scurrying around to make sure everything was in place.

"Would you like to try a piece of olive bread with French feta cheese, Miss Wayne?" the caterer asked me. I looked at the plate and saw that it looked pretty appetizing.

"Yes, please," I said and took a piece off. I took a small bite just to be on the safe side and allowed my taste buds to make the decision for me. "Mmm. This is really good," I said with a smile.

He smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Would you like another?"

"No, thank you. I'm sure I'll be snacking all night," I replied and finished it after he walked away.

I looked up at the clock with a sigh; there was still 20 minutes until the party actually started. People would start showing up any minute now, though. Bruce had informed me earlier that day that Alfred and I could wait at the elevator for the first few people to come up. After that, I was allowed to either make friends with them or be a wallflower; I was betting I'd end up being the latter of the two.

I walked into the kitchen to where I knew Alfred would be and smiled at him. "What are you up to?" I asked as I leaned against the counter.

"I'm instructing the caterers on where to place the trays of food. You look lovely, by the way," he said with a smile.

"Thanks. I'm a little nervous though," I admitted sheepishly. The closest I'd ever come to a fundraiser party was one of my school dances.

"Ah, don't be. There's nothing you need to do but stand back and look charming," he said. I heard a 'ding' noise come from the living room. "Looks like we have our first guests," he said with a smile.

* * *

It had been an hour since the first guests had arrived. My claustrophobia was coming into play as I took in the room filled with people sipping alcohol from their wine glasses and eating orderves. I currently had my back against the wall and was sipping from a wine glass filled with sprite. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, look at this party pooper," I heard someone to my right say.

I looked over and saw Harvey Dent smirking down at me, Rachel Dawes standing beside him.

"Yup, that's me," I said with a small laugh.

"I'm hoping that's not alcohol. Bruce would probably kill me if he found out I just stood by and let you get buzzed." He surveyed the room around him and I noticed I wasn't the only person who looked slightly frazzled.

"You going to be ok?" I asked with a mix of amusement and genuine concern in my voice.

He sighed and took a sip out of his glass. "I hope so. These things always make me nervous," he said and smiled nervously.

"I told him that if he could face the most dangerous criminals in Gotham, he could face these people," Rachel said and kissed Harvey's cheek.

I smiled slightly, thinking about how her words applied to me as well. All of a sudden I heard a loud buzzing noise overhead. The three of us walked over to the center of the room so we could see what was going on. The smirk that arrived on my face was one I could not suppress; Bruce was stepping off a helicopter surrounded by three women that looked like models. Rachel and I glanced at each other and rolled our eyes. I heard Harvey gulp loudly from behind me.

"Harvey Dent. When Rachel first told me she was dating him, I thought, 'That guy with the horrible campaign slogan? I Believe In Harvey Dent'…" Bruce began. The whole room listened intently to his speech, laughing and nodding in agreement at all the right parts. An eruption of applause filled the room when he was finished. I looked over at Harvey and saw a mix of relief and embarrassment on his face. Rachel, on the other hand, looked rather angry. "Excuse me," she said and walked towards the balcony doors, much to Harvey's obvious dismay.

The people were more talkative than ever now. I saw a group staring at me as they conversed and knew I had to get out before they dragged me in for the kill. "I'll be right back. Hang in there, buddy," I said to Harvey. I felt badly about leaving him there, but I just had to get away. I politely made my way through all the people, saying 'hello' to some I recognized from earlier conversations. I let out a relieved sigh when I came to the hallway that led to the bathroom. I opened the door and locked it after shutting it. I looked in the mirror and saw my hair was still straight. That was a complete miracle. I sat down on the lid of the toilet seat and thought about what could be happening tonight in my hometown of Reston.

All my friends were probably at the mall, laughing and goofing around like we always did on Friday nights. My mom would call at around ten-thirty to remind me to be home in the next hour and a half.

I sighed sadly. It was easy to push my parents into the back of my mind when I was busy, but when I was alone, my thoughts always wandered to their memory.

I felt myself tearing up and grabbed a piece of toilet paper to block the tears from falling and ruining my make-up. I don't know how long I was sitting in there before I heard a 'BANG' come from the party area. The original chatter that I could hear just moments before died and, instead, I heard one muffled voice speaking. I slowly stood up and walked over to the door. I opened it slowly and stepped out.

"…Harvey Dent. We'll settle for his loved ones," I heard the all-too familiar voice of the Joker speak. My breathing picked up and my heart felt like it had jumped up into my throat. He was here. Now was his time to hold true to his promise. I started walking slowly down the hallway as curiosity took over; curiosity killed the cat, of course.

"How about this," he began and I heard a girl gasp, "you tell me where Jessica Wayne is and I'll spare your life-_ah_."

My footsteps faltered slightly; I couldn't live with myself if I knew someone had been killed because of me. The Joker probably knew that, too; he got a sick pleasure out of my pain. I stood at the end of the hallway and peeked around the corner.

"We're not intimidated by thugs," a bald, older man said.

"You know, you remind me of my father," the Joker said before he grabbed the man's face roughly and put the knife up to his cheek, "I hated my father," he said angrily.

"Enough!" said Rachel who was standing in the middle of the room now.

No, no, no, no! What is she doing?! _What am I doing?_

I turned around and ran back down the hallway to my room where my cell phone was waiting on my desk for me. I grabbed it and dialed '911'

"911, what is your emergency?" I heard a female voice say on the other end.

"Yes, I'm at-"

I was cut off by the sound of my phone dying and the annoying music that plays when it turns off. Why was it that cell phones never worked when you truly needed them?! I angrily threw it on the bed and ran back down the hallway so I could grab the phone in the kitchen. I was stopped in my tracks when I heard a scream. The Joker had just dropped Rachel off the balcony. I watched in complete horror as Batman jumped off right behind her. I'd always heard about the Batman, but I wasn't sure if it was just legend or fact. They'd been talking about his heroic behavior in newspapers everywhere for the past year, but you can't always believe what you read.

I hadn't realized I was paralyzed with fear until everything went extra silent in the room and everyone turned to look at me. I was no longer safe behind the wall as I had been before. I was standing out in the open, as I realized, in a very vulnerable place. My eyes traveled from the now empty balcony to the black eyes which were staring at me so intently.

"Look who it is," the Joker muttered to himself.

I turned around as quickly as I could and started running for the door. My heels were definitely making this hard, but the thought of the Joker just made me run that much faster. I was almost there when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap tightly around my waist.

"Did you honestly think you could leave me that easily? I'm a man of my word-_ah_, Jessie," he said huskily into my ear.

He swung me around in his arms and started walking, still holding me in front of him. "Help me!" I yelled in disbelief at the room full of bystanders. They all wore the same expression of shock and horror on their faces. Where was Batman now to save _me_?

I felt myself being dragged to the elevator. "Party's over boys!" the Joker yelled directly beside me ear, causing me to wince. I tried my best to kick or hit him, but he had me pinned down completely.

"You look _loverly_ in your little red dress," he said before laying a rough kiss on my temple. I was now standing in the elevator facing the crowd of shocked people.

I looked over at the balcony and saw the Batman land on the ground. Our eyes met a split second later; there was something very familiar about them…

"You got your woman, Batman. Now I get mine," the Joker said as three men in clown masks ran into the elevator. One of them, which I could tell was Bob due to his size, pushed the 'down' arrow. I heard the 'ding' and the door started to close.

I felt the tears form in my eyes for the second time that night as I realized there was no way I was going to be saved this time.

The Batman moved at the speed of light, but by the time he got close to the door it shut in his face.

I heard a loud "NO!" come from upstairs as we were lowered to the ground floor. The yell was followed by a weird noise. I looked up through the clear glass at the top of the elevator to saw a fist-sized piece of metal sticking out.

The elevator was filled with a cold laugh from the man whose arms I was currently trapped in. The elevator opened back up and felt myself being turned around. My feet fell out from below me and I found myself slung over the shoulder of the Joker. I started hitting his back with all my might. "PUT ME DOWN!"

He slapped my butt hard as he chuckled. "You're not leaving this time. Not this time," he said muttering the last part more to himself.

I heard a door being opened and we entered a stairway. We descended down to the basement area where the Joker and his goons walked to the back of the room and opened a door. Due to the sudden car noises, it was obvious we were outside. Instead of being in the front of the building, however, we were in the back.

I heard the all too familiar sound of the van door sliding open and was thrown in. I landed roughly on my back and hit my head on the opposite door. The Joker slid in beside me as I heard the other people getting into their seats. Before I knew it, I was thrown off the seat as the van sped off.

Two hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me up off the floor. I could already feel the bruises forming from where his fingertips were sinking into my skin. Everything seemed a little disoriented and my head was pounding. I turned my head to the left and saw two empty seats. Wait, two? I looked back and saw the Joker beaming at me.

"You get the best seat in the house," he said before letting out another inhuman laugh.

I turned back around to face the front. The Joker's left hand let go of my waist and rested on my inner thigh. His other hand began trailing up and down my arm.

"This is going to be fun," he said huskily in my ear.

I felt a tear slide down my face. I was definitely in for it this time.


	10. You're Mine Now

**A/N: Thanks to all of the people I mentioned in previous chapters as well as mysterious works for me, 123Ekaterina, FantomeAngeDarcy, Electriciaty, xx Rachael, Crystalline Dream, StarryStarryNiite, AufCat, MissMorose, cuteepiee1, LadyKatella, TheBiigK, Katelyn, Chloe4, BookLover786, GoGotha13, hermonine, SoxChik09, BowieChick91 and Snowboardevil. You are all amazing at life! **

**Warning: This chapter contains some gore in it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Batman characters. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. **

My body met the cold, black concrete with a 'thud.' I heard the Joker's footsteps as he stepped out of the van. His hand coiled in my hair as he started to drag me to God knows where. My hands clawed at his in desperation as tears flooded my eyes. This act didn't seem to effect him whatsoever as he continued to haul me behind him. I looked around at my surroundings; although everything was blurry due to my tears, I could tell we weren't in the same alley the old warehouse was located. In fact, we weren't in an alley at all.

It seemed I was being pulled up a driveway. I leaned my head back as much as possible and caught a glimpse of a little, white house. I put my head back in its original position and saw an open field. We must be on the outskirts of the city. I knew we'd been driving a little longer than usual, but I hadn't thought to look out the window to see exactly where our destination was.

I heard the sound of a door opening and was pulled into a well lighted area. The Joker let go of my hair and I fell onto the soft carpet. I had to lay there a second to regain the feeling in my roots; I never knew your scalp could go numb.

I looked around at the walls and saw pictures of a happy family; two parents and a little girl with light brown hair at the beach, a thirteen-year-old girl's school picture…

I narrowed my eyes at the school picture. The young girl looked extremely familiar, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen her before.

Another set of footsteps entered the entrance area from the adjacent living room; Angela.

"So you found her?" she asked. She used the same disgusted tone she always got whenever she saw, and probably thought of, me.

"Obviously," the Joker muttered as if he had more important things on his mind. "Where's Nick?" he asked her harshly.

"He went to the store to pick up some more food, J," she replied, adoration now coating her voice.

I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous show of affection. Before I knew it a sharp pain attacked my abdomen area; the bitch kicked me! I clutched my stomach and start coughing.

I heard a smashing noise and looked over to see Angela lying on the floor over a pile of glass that had obviously been a coffee table seconds before. The Joker was standing over her. His back was to me, making it impossible to see his expression. His voice left nothing to the imagination, however.

"STUPID BITCH! What did I tell you about touching her?! _ANSWER ME_!" he yelled and kicked her even harder than she kicked me.

A surge of pity went through me. The look on Angela's face was heartbreaking; with tears streaming down her face, she continued to look up at the man who was beating her senseless as if he was still the most precious thing she'd ever laid her eyes on. It was like she was grateful that he was even giving her the attention. How could a person look at someone like that when they were beating them?

The Joker threw his foot back, aiming it over her stomach. It was then I did something I never thought I would do.

"STOP IT!" I yelled angrily. The Joker whipped his head around and looked at me. He had a huge grin on his face, though his eyes look confused. Glancing down at Angela I saw she looked just as bewildered. Not only that, she looked sort of angry as well. There was just no pleasing this girl was there?

"What did you say?" he asked with a low voice that sounded so menacing it brought a chill to my bones.

"I…I said stop," I replied in an undertone.

He walked over to me slowly, his black eyes never leaving my blue ones. He leaned down in front of me and flicked a piece of hair out of my face with his knife. He cupped my cheek with his free hand gently and began to caress it with his thumb.

"Aww, your confidence and good nature lifts my spirit-_ah_," he said, still gazing into my eyes. This caused me to gulp loudly. I began shaking slightly as I saw the knife was still in front of my face.

"Don't ever tell me what to do again," he whispered before standing up. I let out a breath of air I hadn't even realized I'd been holding.

I did this too soon, however. Before I knew it I was pushed onto my back as the Joker sat on top of me and punched me in the jaw.

"NEVER BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU!" he screamed into my face before letting out a shriek of laugher.

He pulled the hem of my dress roughly up to my waist. I felt him caress my left thigh and couldn't suppress the chill that ran down my spine. What was he planning on doing?

I looked up at his face, my breathing shaky. He was looking at the thigh he was caressing with a hungry expression. I felt a lurch in my stomach; I'm ashamed to say I couldn't exactly tell which emotion caused it to do so.

"Please, don't," I whispered hoarsely, tears streaming down both sides of my face.

His eyes trailed up the rest of my body until they met my eyes yet again. I saw with horror that he was still staring at me with the same look he'd been staring at my thigh with. He licked his lips before lunging at me, his mouth attacking mine.

"MMPH" was the only sound that was able to escape me. I silently thanked God as this clown pulled away from me after mere seconds.

I raised my hand to slap him in the face, but he immediately grabbed it and slammed it down on the ground. He took both my arms and pinned them above my head with one hand. Curse his quick reflexes.

"I love that little fight in ya," he said with a wide smile. "One of your best qual-i-ties," he said, breaking the one word into three.

I started squirming beneath him in the hopes that it would annoy him enough to get him off. This plan completely backfired on me as I heard him let out a noise I hoped to never hear him make and I ceased my movements immediately.

"Stopping so soon?" he asked in amusement, his breath slightly quicker and his voice a bit huskier. "Oh well. We'll have _plen-ty _of time for that later."

My heart was racing even more now as I saw a new look in the Joker's eyes that I couldn't place. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what it meant…

I heard the door open and looked over to see Nick standing in the doorway, a grocery bag in each hand. He froze when he looked down and absorbed the scene before him.

I looked back to the Joker and saw his eyes trail back down to my bare thigh. "Have you ever heard about what they do to cattle on farms?" he asked as he smacked his lips. "You see, they take a red-hot branding iron and stick it on a part of the animal. It's a sign of possession. A way of telling other herders that this…is…_MINE_!" he yelled and glanced over at Nick. A furious look came into his eyes just as quickly as it went away.

"Do you understand?" he asked, now looking back down at me.

I nodded fervently, fear in my eyes. I was desperately hoping he wasn't thinking about doing such a thing to me.

I felt that hope dwindling area as he positioned the knife on my flesh.

"Please," I begged desperately.

He looked down at me with a new twinkle in his eye. "Ah, you shouldn't have said that."

A look of confusion came over my face just before a look of utter agony. The knife entered my skin and I felt him carving something into my thigh.

A scream escaped my lips as I felt the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life engulf my entire body. I heard the ruffle of Nick's bags dropping to the ground. I closed my eyes as I felt the cold blade slice my skin.

I don't know how long the mutilation took place. My vision was drifting in and out along with every other sense in my body. All I could feel was my warm blood flooding down my leg. I couldn't even feel the pain anymore. My mind was wrapped around each individual drop of life that was escaping me.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

The Joker's voice was so faint now, I wasn't even sure if he'd actually said anything at all. It felt like my mind was fading completely. I could no longer tell the difference between imagination and what was actually happening

I felt a light kiss on my inner thigh and what felt like a tongue lap up some of the blood. I heard a gagging sound and realized after a couple of seconds that it was coming from my own throat.

A figure came into my line of vision as I stared at the white ceiling, but I couldn't distinguish a face. My eyes fluttered closed as a cold darkness began to surround me.

"You're mine now. You'll always be mine-_ah_," I heard a distant voice say as I fell willingly into the blackness.

**At The Gotham Police Department:**

"Four more cops are now dead," Gordon muttered. He had his head in his hands as he sat behind his desk. Four of some of his most trusted men in his department had been gunned down outside of Bruce's penthouse earlier that night.

"What could this all mean, Gordon? Why did he take her again?" asked Detective Anna Ramirez.

"I've been pondering that question all night," he said with a sigh. He took his glasses off and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Maybe he's trying to get to Bruce Wayne."

"But why? There's no reason for that unless he's after money. Wouldn't he have already asked for that if he was really interested?" she asked and sat down in the chair across from him, a pondering expression on her face.

Gordon, on the other hand, knew there was a reason for it. _What if he found out Bruce's secret?_

He couldn't express this theory with Ramirez, though. He was in a bond with both the Batman and Bruce Wayne; the hero and the man behind the mask. There was no way he could break that alliance by letting out too much information. He trusted Ramirez, yes; but like Harvey Dent had already expressed, she was one of the people who was under extreme questioning about the Joker earlier that year. It was hard to tell where anyone's true loyalties lie in this city.

"You don't think it could be something more than that do you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm really not sure. The Joker never has clear motives. I don't think he ever has a plan for anything. He just enjoys seeing this city in complete chaos and turmoil. He's a sick man," he said sadly. His thoughts traveled to poor Jessica and how much she was hurting right now. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Joker was going to inflict as much pain on her as he possibly could. He'd made it quite clear awhile ago that she was seen as some sort of property to him.

"How's Bruce doin'?" she asked with concern.

Gordon sighed as he came out of his thoughts. "Not too good. He's still up at the penthouse," he lied.

The truth was Bruce went back out into the city as the Batman after everyone left his house hours ago. As much as Gordon had begged him not to do anything rash quite yet, there was no bargaining with him.

"What about Batman? Is he going to help us in this case?" Ramirez asked with some doubt in her voice.

"I'm sure he will. The Batman cares about this city more than anyone can even imagine. He's not going to let anything happen to her," he said truthfully. "In fact, I feel sort of sorry for the Joker. When Batman gets done with him, he's going to wish he never even heard the name Jessica Wayne."


	11. Allies and a Motive

**A/N: Thanks to all of the people mentioned in previous chapters as well as DarkFoxPristess, moloko.plus, applegate17, Passionate-HighFive, tigerlvr94 and FoxDemon303. You're all amazing! **

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any Batman characters. I own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. **

Pain; that was the first word that came to my head as I slowly came back into consciousness. I opened my eyes and allowed them to adjust to the dim light that filled the room. I looked around at my surroundings. I was laying in a king sized bed with a soft, navy blue comforter and cotton sheets covering me. It looked it was the master bedroom due to the size. There was a beautiful, expensive looking Tiffany lamp letting off a soft glow. A large television displaying a muted news station was a few feet in front of the bed.

Before I was able to absorb the rest of the spacious room, a door opened to my right. Angela was standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression. She stared at me for a few more seconds before closing the door and walking over to the bed.

"Look, I don't know what you were trying to pull last night, but I don't need your help with anything," she said matter-of-factly. She crossed her arms in defiance as she waited for my response.

I stared at her in genuine confusion. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll give you a minute to gather your thoughts," she said sarcastically as she sat down on the side of the bed.

Memories from last night slowly started to come back to me; everything from defending Angela to blacking out. My leg…

I grabbed the covers and hurled them to the right to reveal my thigh. There was a crimson stained bandage wrap covering my thigh. My head started to pound as I wondered what damage rested beneath it.

"Consider that my returned favor," I heard Angela say.

I looked up at her. "You did this?" I asked in complete disbelief as I indicated the bandage. That was very un-Angela like.

"Don't mention it," she said and looked up from her nails which she'd been staring at intently. "I just have one question," she said with slightly narrowed eyes.

I simply nodded in response.

"Why did you yell at J to get away from me last night? It's not like we're friends. We don't even like each other." She sounded more curious than annoyed for once.

I looked down at my hands and thought back to the way I felt while the Joker was hurting her. The look of love and devotion that adorned her face while enduring the beating without a sound haunted my mind.

"I guess I couldn't stand to see him hurt you like that when I know how much you…love him. I don't mean this in a harsh way, but it was sad to see," I explained to her truthfully. I looked up cautiously to see her reaction and saw she was wearing a blank expression. I thought for sure she was going to either yell or laugh in my face. To my surprise, she did neither.

Instead, she let out a sigh and started explaining it from her point of view. "He doesn't mean to get angry with me like that. I blatantly disobeyed an order. It was nothing harmful or cruel," she said, sounding like she honestly believed those words. It also seemed like she'd used that excuse more than once in her lifetime.

I decided to take advantage of her vulnerable state and talk some sense into her. "Not harmful? Look, I know you care about him, but no one deserves to be treated-"

"Just but out, okay?" she said angrily and met my eyes again. "I don't need a little therapy session from a Dr. Phil wannabe teenager."

I sighed in frustration, but nodded none-the-less. I still needed some answers of my own. Hopefully she wouldn't go back to her hostile ways until after I got them.

After a moment of awkward silence I asked, "Whose house is this?"

"It was my parent's place," she said with a smirk.

"Was?" That meant they were gone in one way or another. The smirk on her face made it hard to distinguish if that was a permanent gone or not.

"Yeah. When I told J about it, he decided to come and finish the bastards off so we could use this place as a hide-out."

My mouth dropped. "And you let him do that?" I asked in both shock and anger. How could someone let a psychopath kill their parents?!

"Duh. Look kid, my parents were scum. They kicked me out when I was sixteen, because I told them I didn't wanna go to college. J was gracious enough to let me join the crew when I was on the streets without any money or any_one_. Not like this is any of _your_ business," she said and stood up. "We're even now, alright? End of story." With that she walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

That definitely could have gone a bit better. I looked back down at my leg; am I stable enough to look at what's under there and not pass out again? I seemed to be very good at that lately.

The pounding in my head subsided and, while my heart was racing, I felt strong and confident enough that I would be able to stay conscious through this one.

I took the end of the bandage and started to undo it. When it was fully off I let out a horrified gasp. There was a large 'J' carved into my flesh. A little bit of blood was still coming out of it at certain places and it looked a little infected. Thank God Angela had treated it after it had happened, otherwise, it would look a lot worse than this.

With one last gaze at the damage, I covered my thigh back up with the blood-soaked fabric.

I let out a shaky breath as the door opened yet again. I expected to see Angela again, but, instead, saw a shy looking Nick with a blue ice-pack in his hand.

"I brought this for your cheek," he said quietly, his face a slight shade of pink.

As he said it, a pain filled the left side of my face. I'd been so focused on my leg and Angela I hadn't even noticed the place the Joker had punched me the previous night.

I smiled lightly at him as he walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He handed me the ice-pack and I looked down at it in my hands.

"I'm sorry," I confessed softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

"For what?" he asked in confusion. I looked up and saw him looking at me curiously.

"For running away last time and making you take the fall for it," I replied sadly. The look on his face had been engraved in my mind since I'd turned away from the window at Tyler's place. After all, this was a boy no more than a year older than me and he was already in ranks with the biggest criminal in Gotham.

"Oh," he said with a shrug. "Don't worry about that…Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, anything," I said, remembering I'd considered him a trusted ally that day in the van.

"I…um…I actually wanted you to get away. I made sure the back door was unlocked before we got in that day. I knew you were smart enough to figure it out," he revealed to me.

I stared at him for a few more seconds, a mix of guilt and gratitude filling up inside of me for this person. "Wow, Nick. That's…wow. Thank you," I said genuinely. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to actually stay away, though," I said sadly. This statement was followed by a few minutes of silence. Unlike the silence with Angela, though, this was a comfortable silence

"Here," Nick said. He lifted up the ice-pack and set it against my cheek. I flinched back involuntarily with a hiss at the harshness of the cold. One of Nick's hands wrapped around the back of my head gently as the other held the ice-pack on my face.

I felt a sense of wariness as I stared into his eyes which were so close to my own now. He was, after all, technically one of my captors. He did let me go last time, though…

I was about to pull away from him when I heard the door open and slam against the wall. I looked over and saw the Joker towering in the doorway, his back slightly hunched. He was smiling widely with a deadly look in his eye.

"Look what we have here," he said menacingly.

Before I knew it he'd sped quickly towards the bed and picked Nick up by his collar.

"What did I tell you? HUH?! I gave you your chance," he said and threw him down on the ground. He flicked the blade up on his knife and headed for the terrified boy on the ground.

"NO!" I yelled and grabbed the back of the Joker's purple coat. I scurried out of the bed as quickly as I could, my thigh protesting painfully the whole time. I limped as quickly as I could to stand in between the Joker and Nick.

"Please, don't. He didn't do anything wrong," I said pleadingly, tears filling my eyes. I would probably die a lot faster without the one person here who was on my side.

The Joker pushed me out of the way without a second glance and I fell on the floor. I gripped my right wrist which felt sprained now.

"I'm sorry, boss. I just gave her an ice-pack for her face. I swear, boss. That's all I was doin'," Nick said hurriedly.

He continued to stare down at him. I silently prayed he would show him mercy, but even I knew the Joker showed no one mercy. He was a cold blooded killer without rhyme or reason.

The Joker bent down and grasped Nick's face roughly. "You're lucky I'm feeling so jolly right now," he told him. "But you know I will kill you if you touch one of my belongings ever again," he warned.

Did he just refer to me as his 'belonging'?

He stood up and turned to face me. "Don't you look beautiful," he said before laughing inhumanly. I glared up at him from where I was sitting on the ground, still holding my hurt wrist.

"Leave," he said to Angela and Nick, though he was still staring at me.

The two stepped out slowly, both looking back in the room one last time before they shut the door obediently. "Ah, now it's just you and me," he said and started walking towards me.

I felt more and more fear overtake my body with every step he took. Nothing good ever came from us being alone together; nothing.

**Gotham Police Department**

The reporters were clicking away madly at their cameras, flashes of light going everywhere.

"Mr. Wayne? Mr. Wayne?"

"How do you feel now that your goddaughter's been taken a second time?"

"Is there any lead yet on why she's a target?"

"Has Batman shown any cooperation in the case?"

Bruce Wayne moved through the crowd of reporters as quickly as he could. When he got into the building he walked up the stairs towards Gordon's office with a determined stance. He hadn't bothered to call; the information he'd retrieved just hours before was much too important to wait.

He opened the door to the office and saw Gordon on the phone.

"I'll have to call you back Mayor," he said before hanging up the phone.

"What have you got there?" Gordon asked as he stood up and walked over to him. Bruce had a manila envelope in his hands.

"I found this at the warehouse in the 57th street alleyway," he said urgently, a look of frustration on his face.

"The Joker's former hideout," Gordon said more to himself than to his companion.

Bruce nodded and walked over to the detective's desk where he emptied the contents of the envelope.

Gordon walked over to look at the papers. His eyes bulged out in shock. "What? How?" he asked in disbelief as he picked up one of the many documents.

Bruce shook his head. "I don't know. I'm leaving today to figure out how this stuff got in his hands," he said angrily.

The detective put down the document he had in his hand and selected another one. "You know what this tells us, don't you?" he asked him softly.

Bruce nodded, though he wished it wasn't true. "The motive."


	12. A Jealous Rage

**A/N: Thanks to all of the people mentioned in previous chapters as well as SoxChick09, gab4eva24, warriorsgirl664 and kimm4580. You guys are all amazing! Remember to review if you like the story. It means a lot to me to know what you guys think! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Batman characters/scenes that appear in the movie. I also used some Joker quotes from films and comics in this chapter; I don't own these either. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. Now read on lovely readers! **

The Joker continued to walk towards me. "I'll never understand women," he said with a laugh. "They can have the world at their fingertips, but in the end they always _RUIN IT_," he said, screaming the last part angrily. I jumped slightly at his outburst causing a low chuckle to escape from his ruby red lips.

When he finally got to me he grabbed my arm and hoisted me up violently, causing me to ram up against him. "I'm only laughing on the outside, my smile is just skin deep. If you could see inside I'm really crying, you might join me for a weep-_ah_," he said as he stared down at me.

I had no idea what he meant by that. Of course, no one understands the Joker but the Joker himself. I tried to go over what he said in my mind again, but was torn away from my thoughts when my captor pushed me back on the bed. I hurried into a sitting position and moved as far away from him as I could. He continued to stare down at me with a smile on his face.

"Aw, you look scared," he said as his face fell and his mouth turned into a pout. "I'll tell you a joke to lighten the mood-_ah_." He walked over to the door and locked it. I could feel my chest rising and falling rapidly as he turned back around to face me.

"Well...this guy goes into the hospital, okay?...His wife's just had a baby and he can't wait to see them both. So he meets the doctor and says, 'Oh, doc, I've been so worried. How are they?' And the doctor smiles and says, 'They're fine. Just fine. Your wife delivered a healthy baby boy and they're both in tip-top form...You're one lucky guy.' So the guy rushed into the maternity ward with his flowers. But it's empty. His wife's bed's empty. 'Doc?' he says and he turns around and the doctor and the nurses wave their arms and scream in his face...'APRIL FOOLS! YOU'RE WIFE'S DEAD AND THE BABY'S A SPASTIC!'" He let out a maniac laugh and bent over so he could rest his hands on his knees.

Meanwhile, my face had a complete look of horror on it. He looked up at me, still laughing wildly. "Get it?" he asked as he took a step closer to me. He finished laughing and his face slowly turned into a scowl. "Tough crowd, huh?"

"Come on, what do I have to do to put a smile on that _face_?" he asked as he walked even closer to me. Releasing me would be one thing, but I didn't dare say that out loud. The last thing I needed now was another beating for being cheeky.

His left leg lifted up and rested on the bed as he looked at me with a contemplating expression. "You know…" he said and pointed his finger at me. "I think you need to lighten up a little." His right leg came up on the bed so he was sitting on his knees. "You're just too _serious_. And you know, you can't enjoy life when you're serious. Now chaos, living without rules; those are the things that make life FASCINATING!" he said as he raised his hands in the air at the last word.

"You're crazy," I said shakily as I shook my head in disbelief.

"Someone somewhere wants me crazy," he said with the tilt and nod of his head. He smacked his lips in his regular fashion. "If people didn't have me, they'd have nothing to worry about. Then, life would be so…boring," he said with an exaggerated sigh. He started to crawl over to me. I started to move back, but found I was already sitting at the edge of the bed. He grabbed my ankle and pulled me over to him. I pushed my hands against his chest as he laid on top of me.

"Even with that bruise on your face you're beautiful," he said as he rubbed my cheek. I noticed his head was lowering down towards mine. There was no way I was going to let this monster kiss me again. Without really thinking, I did the first thing that popped into my head; I kneed him as I hard as I could in the crotch.

A look of pain crossed his face. He then let out a booming laugh that filled every corner of the room. "You know, one of these days you're going to understand," he said as he sat up, now sitting on my waist. "You're going to know exactly what I did for you," he said a look of anger forming on his face. He grabbed my jaw roughly in his hand and pulled out his knife. "See, you just don't _KNOW_ the trouble I went through. No i-dea."

I didn't have time to question his words for a sharp pain had just engulfed my right arm. I had to hold back the scream of agony that was threatening to come out of my throat. I looked down and saw a medium-sized cut in the middle of my arm with blood streaming out of it. The Joker jerked my face so I was facing him again. He held his knife in front of my eyes and I saw crimson liquid staining the blade. My eyesight started to go in and out as my mind focused on the pain that was growing fiercer by the second.

"Let the fun beg-_in_," I heard him say. This statement was followed by another sharp pain on my stomach as the knife ran across my abdomen.

It was then I realized I was completely weak and vulnerable in this state. I hadn't eaten in days, I hadn't had anything to drink, my thigh was still healing and I was losing more blood by the second. The familiarity of the cold darkness that began to surround me was more like a comfort blanket now. I knew he wouldn't do anything to me while I slept; he was the type who fed of the reactions of his victims.

"_DAMMIT!_" I heard the Joker scream as I slipped into the darkness with ease.

* * *

I felt a hard slap on my face. "WAKE UP!" a female voice screamed.

My eyes opened slowly and I saw Angela towering over me. "About time! Get up," she said and pulled my arm so I was in a sitting position.

"Why?" I asked with a croaky voice. I looked around and saw I was still in the same room I'd passed out in, what had to be, hours before. The only difference was I was no longer in my red cocktail dress. Instead, I was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a plan, purple t-shirt.

"Because J said so! We're going somewhere and I'm not going to let you ruin the fun," she said as she tugged me out of the bed. I noticed my thigh was still sore as were the cuts I received on my arm and abdomen. I lifted up my shirt and saw a three inch, red scar running just above my belly button.

"That's nothing," Angela said when she saw me examining it.

I looked up at her with raised eyebrows, though I knew she was right. The truth was it could be a lot worse than this.

I reluctantly followed her out of the room and down the stairs to the first floor. I saw Bob, Nick and Cole standing in the doorway discussing something. There was another man standing off to the side with black hair. I noticed with confusion that he was wearing an honor guard uniform. He looked a little nervous and was sweating slightly. What would a person in the military honor guard be doing here?

"Boss is waiting in the car," Bob said with his deep voice. He grabbed my sore arm and dragged me out the door while the others followed. When we got to the driveway, I found myself staring at the person behind the wheel of a black SUV. The man looked to be in his late twenties and had blonde, curly hair with a slight hint of green. As we got closer, I noticed the scars on his cheek and gasped slightly. The Joker looked over at me and winked with the lick of his lips.

Why had he taken his make-up off? Whose car was this?

I figured out the answer to my last question as we walked over to the SUV; this had probably been another one of Angela's parent's possessions. I sighed sadly at the thought of Angela allowing that monster to kill her parents. It probably had such an effect on me, because my parents had been taken from this earth so unexpectedly. I had no choice in the matter.

I ended up sitting in between Bob and Angela. Unlike the other times I was forced to sit by her, Angela didn't glare at me or make rude comments about my appearance. In fact, she was actually rather civil and allowed me to move closer to her so I wouldn't have to touch the burly man sitting to my right.

As I thought about the new understanding between the two of us my head jerked forward. I'd almost forgotten how crazy the Joker drove. I looked at the speedometer and saw we were going 105 miles an hour. I closed my eyes tightly in the hopes that I wouldn't get car sick. They'd only been closed for three seconds when my head smashed into the seat in front of me as the Joker hit the breaks.

"Now how do you expect to enjoy the ride if your eyes are closed?" the Joker asked with a laugh. I looked up and saw him gazing at me through the rear-view mirror. "Embrace the speed-_ah_," he said before zooming off down the street, my head now pounding.

We were just entering the urban area of Gotham when the car's speed dropped drastically. It was then I realized the Joker was using this car in the hopes that no one would recognize him and the decrease in speed was probably made so he wouldn't draw attention to himself.

We were driving for another five minutes before we stopped in an alley way. All of us got out of the car, tugged in my case, and went through the back door of a brick building. I felt someone grab my other arm and pull me out of Bob's grip; the Joker of course. "This is going to be fun. I've always wanted to be a man in uniform," he whispered in my ear with a chuckle. I was now wearing a baffled expression. What did he mean by a "man in uniform?"

My question was answered as we entered a room where several men were standing with their backs to us. All of them were wearing honor guard uniforms like the black haired man who was with us. "Don't you guys look profes-sion-al," the Joker said as we walked in. All of the men turned and stared at the group of us in horror. The Joker seemed to have that effect on everyone.

"We've just come to relieve you of your work," the Joker said. He lifted up his gun and shot one of the men in the leg. He fell to the ground with a yelp of pain and I felt a p ang of sorrow and pity for him.

All of his fellow men started to look around for the nearest exit, but it was too late. Bob and the others had begun to attack them as well. The men were yelling pleas of mercy only to be knocked to the ground seconds later. As I watched, I saw the thin Angela give one of the men a high-spin kick to the face. I never would have thought she could fight like that. On the other side of the room, Cole was kicking an older man who was lying on the ground with blood splattered across his face. These men could have innocent families at home waiting for them; wives and children whom they loved and supported. What did they do to deserve this degrading and horrid act committed against them? Nothing: absolutely nothing. A tear slid down my face as the scene in front of me truly sank in. I could feel the Joker's eyes burning into the back of my head.

"I know what you're thinking. You see, I am an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos, Jess?" the Joker whispered behind me, his hot breath tickling my neck. "It's fair-_ah_."


	13. Slipping Through My Fingers

**A/N: Thanks to everyone mentioned in past chapters as well as XxwhennoangelhasyourbackxX, HighlanderQueen, Ebonei, Death-Key, Sirrius's Sister and jussee7. You're all amazing! Please remember to review if you like the story or have any advice on how I can improve. It means a lot to me! :D**

**Also, eyeluv2d told me to listen to Celine Dion's "I'm Alive" because it reminded her of Angela. I started getting teary eyed at some of the lyrics, because that**_** is**_** how Angela feels about the Joker, no matter how twisted he is. You should definitely listen to it : Thanks eyeluv2d!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters/quotes/scenes. I do own Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot. **

I watched as the Joker surveyed the room around us. "Well done-_ah_," he said.

All of the men were now tied up to a pole, their clothes stripped from them. Some were still passed out while others had their eyes open wide in terror. The honor guard uniforms were now worn by the Joker, Cole, Angela, Bob, Nick and three other goons that had shown up minutes after the attack. I'm found out a few minutes before that the black haired man, Thomas, had already attacked an honor guard member before coming to the hide-out and stolen his uniform. As for me, I didn't know what was in store yet.

"Now everyone knows what to do, right?" Bob asked as he surveyed everyone. They all nodded in response. I glanced over at Nick and saw that he was looking down at the gun in his hand with a weary expression; this boy just wasn't a killer. Another thing I noticed was that he had been refusing to look at me all day. I felt a sense of truly being alone now that I didn't have him. Not that we'd had a chance to get close. It was just a sense of having someone there no matter how bad things got. Now that feeling was crushed completely.

"You," the Joker said and pointed at one of the men I didn't know. "You're in charge of my little toy," he said as he walked away from the window he'd been standing out for quite some time. There were binoculars pointing toward the blinded window, a red string connecting them to a ticking timer. "My favorite possession," he said as he put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

I whimpered slightly as I was pulled out of my thoughts which caused him to laugh. It was then that I heard the drums playing on the street below. "Show time," the Joker said excitedly with the clap of his hands.

I was quickly spun around to face him. "If you run off again, I will kill you," he said with a smile, though I knew he was serious. "So don't do it." He patted the top of my head as if I was some little toddler before walking away. I felt an arm curl around my waist and saw the man who had been told to watch me.

"My, you are a pretty one, aren't ya?" he said in my ear. I had to fight back the urge to puke right then and there as the sour smell of his breath reached my nose. I didn't have time to react, because a split second later the man was yanked away from me. I turned and saw Angela pointing her gun in his face.

"If you even _think_ about touching her I'll blow your balls of and feed them to you, Derek" she said menacingly. He raised his arms in the air as if to say "don't shoot" and nodded quickly, a look of fear on his face. She gave me a small smile as she put the gun down and walked out of the room. I felt a sense of relief as I realized our relationship with one another was starting to lean towards one of friendship. Hopefully Nick would come around so I would have two allies.

Derek grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs. We exited through the same door we'd used to come in and began walking toward the SUV. I got in the passenger seat while my new babysitter got in the driver's side. "Let's move the car up a bit so we can see the action," he said with a smirk.

"Action?" I asked in confusion. Maybe this guy would fill me in on what was happening.

"Yup. Don't you wanna see the Mayor go down?" he asked with a laugh as he moved the car up a few feet so we could see behind the brick wall. My eyes widened as I saw the huge crowd of people standing before a podium. I could make out the Mayor and Lieutenant Gordon sitting in chairs behind the stand, as well as some people from the police department.

"W-what? They're going to shoot the Mayor?" I asked in disbelief. Shooting a public figure like him would be a big triumph for the Joker and get him steps closer to taking over the city.

"Don't you think it's time Gotham got a better leader? When the Joker finishes off all the people on his list, this city's going to be turned upside down." A creepy gleam appeared in his eye as he said these words and I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down my spine. Meanwhile, I was doing my best to keep my hands still in my lap; they seemed to have a mind of their own as they continued to shake slightly.

"Who's all on the list?" I asked as calmly as possible.

Derek turned his head and glared at me. "Like I'm gonna to tell you! You'll probably end up escaping again, anyway. I'm not gonna have the boss gettin' on me cuz I told you some information," he said before turning his head back to the ceremony. The Mayor was now standing at the podium making his speech. My heart started to beat faster as it dawned on me that this man could be killed any minute now.

When his speech ended he walked back over to his seat, unaware that the Joker was just yards away from him. I looked at where the Joker was standing. He looked almost unrecognizable without the paint covering his face. Staring at the actual man behind the disguise brought on a whole new set of questions: Who had he been before the Joker? Why did he turn to a life of crime? It was hard to get a straight answer from him, but now I was determined. Was it smart to try and get inside the mind of a psychopath? Probably not, but somebody would have to do it eventually. I'd have to choose the perfect moments to get answers. This sort of thing took time. Heck, chances were I wouldn't accomplish anything. He might even get extremely angry at my curiosity and shoot me. I found this outcome very unlikely, though. If he really wanted me dead he would have killed me by now. That was another thing I'd have to find out; why he took me in the first place.

"Ready. Aim. Fire!" I heard a male voice yell. The sudden sound of gunshots filling the air caused me to jump.

"Ready. Aim. Fire!"

This time I heard gunfire that didn't belong. I looked up and saw snipers in the balconies of the building across from us. They were shooting at someone or something in the place beside us. Following the direction of their gunpoint I saw they were aiming at the window of the room we'd been in minutes before. Someone must have caused the timer to go off.

"Ready. Aim…"

I turned my attention back to the ceremony. The two people closest to the stage, the Joker and the dark haired man, quickly aimed their guns at the Mayor and shot. My heart stopped completely when Gordon jumped in front of the target.

"NO!" I yelled. The man who had been so helpful and understanding to me through this whole ordeal was now lying motionless on the ground.

All thought and reason left my mind as I heard another series of gunshots fill the air, screams of terror adding to the chaotic atmosphere. The next thing I knew I was out of the car and running towards the stage.

"SHIT!" Derek screamed from behind me. I didn't care about him, the Joker or anything else right now. My sight was on the man that was being surrounded by distraught looking men in uniform. I looked over to the left and saw Rachel standing by a black car. Our eyes met at the same time. Her eyes widened in shock as the fact that I was standing there, alive and well, sunk in.

"Jessica!" I heard her yell faintly. She broke free of the officer who was holding her back and started towards me.

I changed my path so I was now headed in her direction. Swerving in and out of panicked civilians slowed me down, but I didn't care right now. I vaguely heard an agonized scream from somewhere behind me. I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw my group of captors standing in front of the black SUV. The Joker was scanning the crowd hurriedly, a look of extreme anger on his face. Our eyes met for a brief second before I turned my head back around and continued walking as quickly as I could. Rachel was now being held back by two large officers. Guilt ran through me when I saw the tears running down her face as she pleaded with the two men. Every time I saw her she'd always been so strong and confident. Seeing her breaking down was like a blow to the face.

"Please let them listen to her," I muttered to myself. I sighed in relief as the officers looked at me, a newfound understanding written on their faces.

I smiled slightly as they started towards me, speaking into their radios as they did so. Suddenly I was lifted up by my waist, twirled around in midair and thrown over a broad shoulder. I screamed loudly, already knowing who it was. My whole body shook as the Joker ran through the mass of people. I could hear him literally growling at the innocent bystanders who stood in his way.

I strained my neck so I could see Rachel one last time. The memory of her face would give me something to hold onto while I was being tortured by this monster; hopefully it would keep me sane.

More tears flooded down my face when I saw the person coming up behind her. He took her hand and started to guide her to safety, but was stopped by her violent protests. She pointed over at me, still crying. I heard a car door open as I met his amber eyes. I was violently thrown into the middle of the second row as the door slammed shut. With teary eyes, I watched as a helpless looking Bruce started to run through the crowd. His effort was held to no avail, however. The car I was in was already zooming as quickly as possible down the street and the Joker looked madder than ever.

**Meanwhile in the Mob World**

A group of men in suits were sitting around a large table in a warehouse basement. Salvatore Maroni and the Chechen mob boss sat at both ends of the table, their men filling in the rest of the seats.

"I thought you said this guy was a nobody, boss? Now look what he's done: he's taken our money and killed some of our people," one of the men said with a thick northern accent.

"I know, I know. But we're already in a deal with him. Our money will be returned in no time. Then, we'll kill the clown," Maroni replied, receiving nods of approval.

"I see a problem with that," came the voice of the Chechen mob boss from across the table.

"Really? What would that be?" Maroni asked. It was obvious this discussion about the Joker was getting on his nerves.

"The Joker won't care if we kill him. He'd probably fall laughing," he leaned forward so he was resting on his elbows. "We need to find something that will make him hurt. Something that will actually get to him," he said knowledgably.

One of Maroni's men decided to speak up. "There's nothing that freak likes. He doesn't care about money, possessions, peop-"

"That's where you're wrong. Have you been watching the news?" he asked the room as a whole.

"Yeah, so what? The only thing he's done is blow up some more buildings and kidnap that stupid Wayne girl again," Maroni said. Immediately after he made this comment a look of understanding crossed his face. "Nah…" he said in disbelief.

The Chechen man nodded and pointed at Maroni. "Yes. He hasn't asked for a thing since her capture. Not a cent. We need as much information as we can get about this kidnapping. I have a feeling that's the only way we'll get to him."

"Do you guys hear what you're saying? A girl; you think a stupid girl is going to get us to the Joker?" asked one of the Russian men.

"Think about it, Ivanov. Why did he go after her a second time? She didn't even know nothin' 'bout him. Nothin that the cops didn't already know," he said seriously.

"I'm glad you men are beginning to get a bit smarter," said an unfamiliar voice from the entrance door.

Every head in the room turned to saw a man standing with a burlap bag on his head; the Scarecrow.

"You; I thought you were arrested?" Maroni questioned, rubbing his chin in thought.

"The cops aren't exactly the hardest people to…bargain with," he said with a hint of amusement in voice. "So I see you're planning on going after the Joker."

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" one of the Russian mobsters asked. "The last thing we need is another freak turnin' on us." This last statement was followed by a few murmured agreements.

The Scarecrow chuckled. "I see your point. But as your boss knows," he began and nodded at Maroni, "I'm not as pointless as the Joker is. I'm one of those criminals that has…a purpose," he said nonchalantly.

"You can help us?" the Chechen mob boss questioned. He was looking the criminal up and down to size him up. He, along with a majority of the people at the table, was having his doubts about this man.

"Yes, but it won't just be us," he said. "Some of my friends are willing to help as well."

"Friends, huh? By friends, do you mean more freaks?" one of Maroni's men asked.

"Technically, yes. But I wouldn't call them that if I were you," he warned as he circled the table at a safe distance.

Everyone looked at each other worriedly, wondering if this would be the right thing for them. After all, mobster's number one concerns involved their family.

Maroni and the Chechen mob boss looked at each other, silently coming to an agreement.

"If we agree to do this, you will help us get this girl from the Joker and get us what we want?" the Chechen asked.

"Your wish is our command. Besides, we have some business with the Joker as well," the Scarecrow said darkly.


	14. Life in the Fast Lane

**A/N: Thanks to all of the people mentioned in previous chapters as well as kiera-sama, Thorch Phoenix, KemoWitch92, BrownEyedDevil, GoldSiren, Detective Huckle, The Embedded Shame, LoStorico, CharismaRose, Taste's Like Home, fullyxalive, cynicalmuse, .Verbal.Rape., Crissia, Clan Fraser, MonMaskedAnge, itsi3, Jfox255, applegate17, megna216, pruely, megna216, you.cant.kill.heroes, MyArsenicRomance, Kerry690 and Eves Angel. You're all amazing! Remember to review if you like the story or have any advice on how I can improve my writing :)**

**I'm so sorry it took all weekend to get this chapter out. I was busy and just didn't have the time to sit at the computer and get back into the mindset of the story haha. Then when I tried to post it earlier today there was a technical issue so I had to try a few hours later. Thanks for being so patient! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters/scenes/quotes. I do own Jessica Wayne, any other original characters and the plot. **

I watched Bruce slip out of sight, my body growing number as we drove farther away. If the Joker was ever going to kill me, now would be the perfect time. He'd warned me before that if I tried to escape today I was dead. Of course, escaping wasn't what I'd set out to do when I jumped out of the car. Making sure Gordon was okay was my one and only priority. Thinking back on it, I never would have even thought about running if I hadn't met Gordon. It was the thought of his life and family that he was going to be leaving behind that messed with my emotions. Knowing what a great person and Lieutenant he truly was and how much this city would be affected without him is what set my fate. It wasn't until I saw Rachel that the thought of freedom entered my mind.

Selfish: that was one word to describe my rash act. Now that I was in my right mind I was able to see how many lives I'd risked. What if the Joker had decided to start shooting people at random until I was back with him? Or even worse, what if he would have shot Rachel or Bruce? I would have welcomed death with open arms if Bruce had been killed or hurt in any way.

I was slowly drawn away from my worries by a distant ringing noise. I lifted my head up and strained my ears: police sirens?

As I looked around at my "companions" I saw I wasn't the only one who heard the advancing cars. Everyone except the Joker was going into a minor frenzy.

The sirens became even louder when the Joker rolled down his window. When I felt the wind hit my face, I looked over to see his torso hanging completely out. Angela gasped loudly when she noticed what he was doing. Peering up through the window I saw yet another side to the Joker; his eyes were closed and his blondish locks were blowing freely. For once there was a peaceful expression on his face. My heart skipped a beat when he opened his eyes and stared down at me with the same tranquil expression. I searched his eyes for any sign of anger or amusement, but found no mark of any of his regular emotions. In the middle of our mini staring contest he whipped his head to the side as the siren wails grew even closer.

Bob slammed on the accelerator and I heard the pedal hit the floorboard. The Joker climbed back in the car and grabbed my face tightly in his hand.

"You just spice up my life," he said with a smile and the lick of his lips. The brief glimpse of hope I'd seen for his soul seconds before was completely gone now. This wasn't some tortured soul; this was a black soul, a complete psychopath. You can't save someone like that no matter how hard you try. He's far too gone to even save himself, now.

"See, I wasn't planning on having to deal with these dear police off-i-cers, but I have to admit, it will be fun." He let go of me and slapped my right cheek.

"Here we go," he said eagerly before going back out the window.

I threw my hands over my ears as a sequence of loud gunshots filled the air. The sound of screeching car breaks only enhanced my fear of more people losing their lives, because of my thoughtless actions. I was thrown to the left forcefully as Bob made a sharp turn. He started swerving in and out of cars on the busy street, making it almost impossible for the cops to keep up.

"Where to boss?!" Bob questioned loudly with the same enthusiasm in his voice that the Joker held in times like this.

"How about we reunite with the ol' warehouse!" the Joker yelled back as he continued to release shells from his gun.

We made another sharp turn to the right before zooming down a deserted alleyway. The Joker hit the top of the car before letting out an eccentric laugh.

"DON'T DISAPPOINT ME MEN!" he screamed to the following police officers.

My whole body was thrown inches into the air as one of the cop cars rammed into the back of the SUV with great impact. We drove for about five more seconds before the car screeched to a halt. Angela grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the car and into the building. The cops yelling 'freeze' seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.

I looked around the room I was now in and thought back. "I-is this…?"

"Yeah, it's our old hide-out," Angela said, now taking out her own gun. "Come on, we need to get upstairs," she said and began dragging me towards a door in the corner of the room I hadn't noticed before.

We ran up the stairs in record time despite the protests of my bruised limbs. The sound of the Joker cackling traveled up to where we stood in an open, studio-like room. This must have been where storage was kept once upon a time. I jumped slightly when the door to the room opened up and in walked Bob and Nick. They were both carrying large, black bags; that was never a good sign. Gunshots were going off like crazy downstairs and shouts from the police officers to 'drop your weapons!' were heard. This was exactly how the Joker liked it…chaotic.

"W-what are you going to do with those?" I asked Nick shakily as he pulled out one of the biggest guns I've ever seen in my life.

He looked up slowly and really saw me for the first time all day. "Don't worry about it. Just stand over there," he said firmly. He pointed to the farthest corner of the room before going back to the gun he was pulling out of the bag with Angela.

I gulped before walking over to the corner and lowering myself down on the concrete floor. It was extremely cold and dirty, but it felt good to rest a little. Now that I was able to analyze the way I really felt, I found I was much weaker and tired than I thought I was. Small spouts of endurance couldn't save me now. I closed my eyes in the hopes that when I opened them again I would find this had all just been a horrible nightmare.

"Position it down you dumbass!" Bob yelled.

"Don't talk to me like that you great oaf!" Angela yelled right back.

"Both of you need to shut the hell up," Cole said. I opened my eyes and looked over to see him and the Joker entering the room. Neither of them looked like they'd been hit by a single bullet. In fact, they looked extremely proud.

"Ah, look at these beauties," the Joker said as he walked over to the guns that were pointing out the window. He looked at them for a second before turning to his goons.

"Who wants to shoot this one?" he asked, indicating the gun in the second window. Angela and Bob both started to go at it about who should have the "honor" of blowing people up. This disregard toward other humans made me sick to my stomach.

The Joker looked at the four people standing in front of him with narrowed eyes. He scanned the rest of the room in a split second before his eyes finally landed on me. I could already feel myself shaking even more now and tears were welling up in my eyes. He smiled as he slowly made his way over to me. He bent over in front of me when he arrived in the corner.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" he asked as he rubbed my face with his gloved hand. "You just wanted to play hard to get," he said with the lick of his lips and the nod of his head. He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself that this was the truth.

His humorous expression switched to one of anger as he pulled me up by the arm he'd been gripping. I was dragged over to the window where I saw at least thirty cops cars lined up and down the alleyway. Civilians were standing on both ends of the lane, looking up in complete horror at what was going to happen.

"Don't want my toy to miss out on all the fun-_ah_," the Joker whispered in my ear with a chuckle. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Joker! You don't have to do this. Just let Miss Wayne go and bring yourself into our custody. There will be no force needed if you willingly come now. We'll help you in any way we can. You can go back to Arkham Asylum and we will rehabilitate you. It doesn't have to be this way," a police officer with a bullhorn said up to us.

"Hmm…" I heard the Joker say in my ear. "What should I do darlin'?" the Joker asked as he whipped me around to face him.

"You don't have to do this. Please, just let me go. Don't you want to get help?" I asked, tears streaming down my face. I definitely sounded more confident than I looked or felt.

He continued to stare into my eyes with an unreadable expression. Could he actually be considering this proposition?

This thought was crushed when he began to laugh hysterically. "I'll stick to life in the fast lane!" he yelled.

It was then that I was thrown to the floor. I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up and take me over to the farthest corner where I was sat down on the cold ground yet again. Turning my head to the side, I saw Nick staring down at me with a protective gleam in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around me as the Joker said, "Let's see what the world looks like in fiery orange."

"Cover your ears," Nick murmured against the top of my head. I threw my hands up to cover them just as a loud explosion came from down on the street. I looked over at the window to see a cloud of black smoke floating up. The wild laughter coming from the Joker was ringing in my ears, taunting my whole existence. I heard the windows close so none of the smoke would get in.

A sob escaped my throat as I thought about the brave officers whose lives had just been taken. Nick's hand rubbed up and down my back as he whispered words of reassurance in my ear. My head rested in the crook of his neck as I tried to steady my breathing. I wrapped my arms around his neck to steady myself. His hand ran through my hair in a comforting motion and I felt a rush of gratitude fill up inside of me for him.

The Joker's laughter came to an abrupt halt. I didn't have the strength or the courage to look over and see why. I heard the sound of footsteps stomping closer to where we were sitting before Nick was forcefully torn away from me and thrown on the floor. I watched with a mixture of anger and sorrow as the Joker began to kick him in the stomach.

"No!" I jumped in between the two of them only to be pushed five feet away by the Joker in one swift hit.

I looked over at the three other people in the room as they stood by and watched with looks of both helplessness and…joy?

"I gave you too many chances," the Joker said as he pulled out his gun and pointed it down at bloody Nick with a smile on his face.

I crawled over to Nick and sat in front of him on my knees. "Please…don't," I said with a hoarse voice from crying so much. Looking up at the Joker in desperation, the gun pointing in my face, I realized I would enjoy being shot right now. Leaving this world behind was always a fear of mine, but now it seemed like a blessing. My life had made a complete 360 in these past few weeks. Even if I escaped now, there was no way I'd be able to go back to the way things were before. The Joker had messed with my whole existence too much to go back to the life of a normal human being. I had nothing to live for.

"Kill me. If you're going to do it, do it now," I said quietly. The Joker continued to stare down at me, his cold, dark eyes gazing down into my tearful ones. He actually looked a little taken aback for once. A loud bang was heard from downstairs. It echoed around us, filling in the dead silence that had contained the room moments before.

"Go downstairs. NOW!" the Joker said to the other three.

"Umm, J? Don't you wanna go downstairs? I'll stay up here with Jess-" Angela began, but was cut off by the venomous look the Joker gave her.

"We're going to have some fun of our own," he said as he looked back down at me, a smile now on his face.

Nick was coughing behind me and moaning slightly out of pain. I could literally hear my heart thudding in my chest as Bob, Angela and Cole left the room. The Joker didn't need to say anything to instill fear in me at this point; the sheer look in his eyes told me he was going to hurt me more than he ever had before.


	15. Seducing the Devil

**A/N: Thank you to all of my wonderful veteran reviewers as well as GoldSiren, Dark Sakura Blossoms, Ramla Okami and Aka Fuyu. You are all amazing! I had some trouble writing this chapter, because I was having a little war with myself about what was going to happen. I feel pretty good about how it turned out though, and I hope you guys will like it, too. Just a little thing though: this story has some twists and turns. That's all I wanted to say hehe. **

**BTW, sorry about re-posting this chapter three freakin' times. I kept finding mistakes when I went back and read it through, but I'm goint to stop now haha.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any Batman characters/scenes/quotes. I do own Miss Jessica Wayne, any original characters and the plot :) Now read on lovely readers!**

"Beauty is a curse on the world. It keeps us from seeing who the real monsters are," the Joker said as he lifted my limp body off of the ground. For once I didn't protest or fight back in any way. My mind was circulating on what that look in his eye meant; it was a mischievous gleam with a mix of anger and joy. I heard Nick cough up more blood from behind me and tried to turn to look at him. The Joker wasn't having any of this, however; he grabbed my arm even tighter and pulled me up against him.

"What do you think I should do?" he asked as he ran a finger down my face. "I'm a man who believes in…fairness," he licked his lips quickly. "That's why I love chaos, Jess. You see, if you stick to a _plan_, everyone's happy. It's the way things are supposed to be. But if you introduce a little anarchy, everyone goes crazy," he said, breaking into a laugh. "That's the thing about life. Everyone thinks they're so perfect and respectable. Kind of like you're godfather, Bruce Wayne," he said with the nod of his head. The fact that he would even dare to bring him into this little speech made me struggle to get out of his arms.

"Ah, there's my little fighter," he muttered as he gripped my arms even tighter. I could feel them beginning to bruise. "When the perfect people in the world are faced with chaos, you see who they really are. They would eat each other like rabid animals when it came down to it. So I'm not as crazy as people think, am I? I'm just ahead of the curb-_ah_."

"Not everyone is like you. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to fight for the greater good," I said, shaking my head at him. I wanted to belittle him like he'd belittled me. "You have no one. You're all alone." I glared up at him with all of the hate inside of me.

For a second he looked like he was ready to tear my head off with his bare hands. I found this to be a success, though. If he got angry, that would mean I'd gotten to him, even if it was just a little bit. After mere seconds his trademark laugh began to ring in my ears, crushing my sense of triumph.

He wiped his eyes as he continued to laugh. "Ah, that's a good one," he said as he let go and walked around me. I watched as he made his way over to Nick with a feeling of protectiveness.

"No…" I muttered under my breath. I couldn't stand back and watch him kill the person who'd defended me so many times. Nick watched as the Joker walked towards him with pain and knowing in his eyes. I looked around frantically to find some form of a distraction. The room was completely empty except the two huge guns pointing out the window, and I couldn't move those if I tried.

Looking back at the scene before me I saw the Joker standing over Nick with a vicious grin on his face as my hero cowered on the floor below him. The only thing that came to mind to distract him was…well, me.

"Joker!" I practically yelled to get his attention. He turned his head in my direction, a look of annoyance on his face and his back slightly hunched.

I crossed the space between us in three, big steps. Standing face to face with him brought back that fearful feeling in my gut. The one that screams "Danger: Run Away as Fast as You Can!" I was forced to do the complete opposite of what my gut was telling me to do, however. Without a second thought I took his face in my hands and forced my lips onto the plump, ruby red ones in front of me.

I forced the thought of how soft his lips were out of my head. Removing my left hand from his face, I pointed to the door so only Nick could see. I didn't dare look over at him. If I averted my eyes the Joker would surely notice for he was gazing down at me with a look of shock. His whole body felt stiff against mine as if it had yet to register what was happening. I ran my tongue across his bottom lip and he began to devour my mouth with his own.

I heard a shuffling noise come from beside us which told me Nick had indeed understood my signal. The Joker pulled away from me and whipped his head around to see Nick limping towards the door, now halfway across the room.

He turned his head slowly back to face me, a look of rage on his face. "Looks like I'm not the only jokester, huh?" he asked, his voice dripping with malice.

What happened next occurred too quickly for me to fully grasp. The Joker had raised his gun and pulled the trigger. For a second I thought he'd shot me and I frantically looked down expecting to find blood pouring out of me somewhere. When I found no sign of injury, I slowly lifted my head and saw Nick lying motionless on the ground. My eyes widened in shock. Before the Joker could stop me, I ran over and skidded next to the blonde haired boy on the floor. My hands were shaking violently as I checked his pulse: nothing. There was no sign of life whatsoever. A sob escaped my throat, but this time Nick wasn't there to comfort me or tell me it was going to be alright. And it wasn't. The pain that filled my heart made it hard to breathe. One person is only made to take so much death in a certain time period, and this was going to send me over the edge.

It wasn't as if I'd known Nick that long or that we shared some strong love for one another. In fact, I barely knew him at all. What I did know was that this boy had risked his life for me on countless occasions. He'd done his best to protect me even when he knew the consequences. More importantly, he'd died because of _me_. He died _for_ me. That made him more than just an acquaintance. He was a part of me now.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered as I laid my head down on his chest.

A pair of strong arms circled around my waist and pulled me away from him, but I only vaguely felt it. I was too disconnected right now to face the horrible reality that was my life. The Joker spun me around to face him.

"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" he asked before dipping me in his arms.

He pulled me back up with a sharp tug and began to guide me around the room in a waltz. I could vaguely feel my feet moving beneath me, doing their best to support my movements. I was like a zombie; a member of the living dead. After all, wasn't that what I was; a living dead person? Sure, I was breathing and had a heartbeat, but inside there was…nothing. The usual happiness and warmth that had filled up inside of me was gone. I'd lost a part of me when my parents died and now another part had been ripped away as well…

Wait! This can't be happening. This is what the Joker wanted all along: to bring me down to his level. If I lost everything it would be like he won. He got a sick pleasure out of my pain and sorrow. I couldn't let go just yet. I had to do my best to stay strong.

"Aw, don't look so down, darling," the Joker said. "Let's put a smile on that face-_ah_," he said huskily. I felt the warmth of his lips attack mine yet again. He was latched onto me for a full sixty seconds before pulling away, his breathing slightly heavier.

"Smile for me," he said in amusement. I continued to stand motionless, a faraway look on my face as I decided whether or not I should comply. "_SMILE!_" he screamed, causing me to jump.

I sighed shakily and gave off the fakest smile of all time. I somehow managed to allow it to travel to my eyes so they showed off a glimmering light of happiness. Faking your emotions wasn't very hard when you'd been reassuring people you were okay when you were dwindling away on the inside for months.

"That's my girl," he whispered as he began to sway us back and forth to the imaginary music. I looked over his shoulder at Nick who was as lifeless as ever. There were no more tears running down my face as I stared at him; my eyes were too sore to produce another drop.

A loud bang came from somewhere on the staircase that led up to where we were.

"Let's see who shows up, shall we? This is part of the fun; the unexpected," the Joker said to me as I stared at the door with a mix of anguish and hope. One part of me hoped it was the cops so I could be rescued. The other side of me hoped it wasn't, because chances were the Joker would kill them in a matter of seconds.

I didn't feel the normal agony of crushed dreams when Angela, Bob and Cole emerged in the doorway. Cole had blood pouring out of his arm, while Angela had a gash on her leg.

"Took out…each one…of 'em boss…" Bob said, sounding out of breath.

"Darn, we don't get anymore fun," the Joker responded in a playful tone.

Suddenly, Angela lunged at the Joker and hugged him with all her might. I could hear her muttering something to him, but wasn't able to make out the words. I realized I was making a disgusted face at the two. It was awkward watching her show affection to this monster in a touchy-feely sort of way.

The Joker had an amused expression on his face as he trailed his hand down her back and whispered something in her ear. Glancing over at Bob I saw that he appeared to be on the brink of puking and for once I felt for him. As I turned back to the other two I realized the Joker was staring at me as Angela continued to hold onto him for dear life. I glared at him for a second before rolling my eyes. Looking out the window, I saw that the sun was beginning to set and felt a jolt of pity for myself. I had to spend yet another night with them.

"Boss, we should get goin' before anyone else shows up," Cole said as he peered out the window.

Angela pulled away from him, smiling like I'd never seen her smile before. She grabbed my arm as she walked past me and led me down the stairs.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked softly, not wanting lighten her mood.

"We get to go somewhere I've wanted to go to for a long time," she said happily as she skipped out of the warehouse with me in tow.

"Where's that?" I asked nervously as we slid into the backseat.

"A nightclub."

**Bruce Wayne's POV- Three Hours Earlier**

After the incident at the ceremony in Gotham, Bruce decided the best thing for him to do at this point was to get all of the answers he could. With Gordon…dead, he realized he couldn't waste anymore time with this case. Watching Jessica get dragged off by that freak tore him to pieces and made him see that he couldn't take anymore chances. After they left the area, Bruce had drove Rachel to the police department where she was going to continue to work on capturing the Joker. Meanwhile, he had set off for Reston, Jessica's hometown.

That had been roughly two hours ago and, now, he had just drove past a "Welcome to Reston" sign. From what he could see everything was still the exact same as it had been three years ago when he was last here to visit Jessica's parents. That had been the day he'd signed the papers to become her Godfather. The voice of Jessica's father echoed in his mind, sending a surge of guilt through him.

"_You know of the immense danger she could be in if something were to happen to us. We trust you more than anyone on this Earth, Bruce. We know you'll take good care of her." _

He sighed sadly as he glanced over at the passenger seat for the hundredth time since he'd gotten in the car. Sitting there was the same manila folder that he'd found at the warehouse, all of the documents still inside. On top of the envelope was a sheet of paper Alfred had made him of all the people he'd need to talk to while he was here. He'd also added a picture to the mix; one that he knew would get him the answers he needed. After all, it wasn't a face that a person could easily forget.

He pulled into the parking lot of a big, brick building. After grabbing the documents off of the seat, he stepped out of his black Lamborghini and walked through the double doors.

A woman sitting at the welcoming desk in the center of the room gave him a smile when he walked in.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked politely, briefly looking him up and down.

He gave her his award winning smile as he leaned against the counter. He knew he'd need to work all of the charm he had inside of him to get the information he desired. "Hi. Did you happen to work here about four or five months ago?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," she said with a smile. She leaned forward slightly so some of her cleavage was showing.

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that," he said as he pulled out the photograph, still smiling widely. "I need to know if this man came in here around that time frame for information on a citizen in this town," he said as he handed her the picture.

She took it from him and stared at it. After a few seconds, her face fell into a look of recognition as she began to tell him everything she knew.


	16. A Night on the Town

**A/N: Thank you to all of my amazing long-term reviewers/readers as well as Rayven Storme, jazzymcgee, sleepingpalm, emptyharbor, Kealy, gerardlover123, Kyriel, NotxYetxDead, hayly baby and your biggest fan (btw, sorry that you didn't study for your test! Hopefully you got some in haha.) You're all amazing! I know this chapter doesn't have much action in it, but I promise the next one will have plenty! Just please stick with me haha. In case you were interested, this stories title is based off of the quote "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" as well as the song 'Dance With the Devil' by Breaking Benjamin. If you want to know what Jessie's dress looks like in this chapter you can ask for it through a review or message me and I'll send you the link. It won't let me put it on here for some reason :(**

**Also, Kyriel suggested that I listen to the song "Liar" by Emilie Autumn. It definitely reminds me of the way the Joker sees Jessica in this whole situation. Thanks Kyriel!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters/scenes/quotes. I do own Jessica, any original characters and the plot. Now on with the story :)**

"A nightclub?" I asked in disbelief. How could they be thinking about partying right now? There had to be some ulterior motive for the Joker going out. Probably to gain more henchmen or just kill more people for his own sick pleasure.

"Amazing, isn't it? And guess what?" she asked excitedly. I shrugged, still in disbelief at what we were about to do. "J said he would dance with me."

She sounded so much like a thirteen year old girl at her school dance that I couldn't help but smile. Angela really wasn't a bad person; she was a good person whom bad things had happened to. I just wished she could see that she was too good to be running after the Joker.

"Well ladies and gentle-_men_, let's go enjoy the night," the Joker said as he opened the door and slid in beside me. Both Bob and Cole looked happier than ever as they got into the front seats. Bob revved the engine before heading back to the hideout so we could all change. The Joker's arm slid around my shoulders and, for once, I felt a surge of guilt for Angela due to the attention the Joker gave me. He began to twist my hair around his fingers the way he always did when I was forced to sit beside him. I thanked God when I saw Angela wasn't paying any attention to us as we drove out of the city and back to her house.

We pulled into the driveway about ten minutes later. I hadn't even stepped into the house yet when I found myself being dragged up the stairs by the only other female around.

"You're coming with me. I have the perfect thing for you to wear," she said excitedly. When we got upstairs I was taken into a purple room with band posters everywhere; Third Eye Blind, Weezer, Blink 182. She was definitely a 90's girl.

Before I could absorb the whole room, a black towel and a toothbrush were thrust into my arms and I was pushed into the adjoining bathroom.

"No offense, but you definitely need to freshen up," she said before closing the door.

"Thanks," I muttered sarcastically, though I knew she was right. I undressed and turned on the water so it could warm up. Meanwhile, I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth until the water was a perfect warm. I allowed all thoughts to leave my mind as the water cascaded down my body. Maybe going to a club wasn't such a bad idea after all. Sure, it was completely ridiculous that I was kidnapped and partying, but I might as well make the best of it. I lathered up with a vanilla body wash and used both Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner; I definitely needed it. After rinsing off, I stepped out of the shower carefully and dried off. When I entered the bedroom, the first thing I saw was a short, white dress lying on the bed with a pair of silver flats on the floor.

"You're going to look stunning!" Angela exclaimed. I turned around and saw she was wearing a mini black dress with black flats.

"Not nearly as great as you," I said, starting to feel a little self-conscience about myself.

"You're funny," she said as she pushed the clothes into my arms. "Go change. When you come back out I'll do your hair," she said as she guided me back into the bathroom.

I sighed when the door closed and got dressed. Once I was finished, I took a chance and looked into the mirror. I was surprised to find I didn't look horrible at all. But this was ridiculous; it wasn't as if this was some casual thing to do when you were _kidnapped_! I stepped out of the room to find Angela sitting on the bed. She looked up and her jaw dropped.

"I knew it was too much…" I said and went to close the door.

"Oh no you don't, missy! You look fantastic," she said as she grabbed my arm and sat me down in a chair.

"I'm going to curl your hair a bit so it's wavier," she said as she separated my hair into sections. I narrowed my eyes in confusion at the fact that my hair was still soaking wet. "Don't worry; with this curling iron you can curl wet hair. It's really handy, actually," she said as she began to twist my hair around the handle. Steam rose in the air as I heard my hair literally sizzle. When she finished, she began to apply make-up to my eyes, cheeks and lips.

After an agonizing fifteen minutes she exclaimed "Victory!" and I looked in the mirror. I smiled lightly at my reflection.

"Do you like it?" she asked from behind me.

"It's great, Angela," I whispered. I saw her face fall slightly and I turned around to face her.

"No, it really is. It's just…this is all kind of awkward," I said sincerely as I bit my lip slightly. Not only was it awkward, it reminded me of all the times my mom and I would stay cooped up in my bedroom for hours before a big school dance. The tears were starting to well up in my eyes, so I quickly did my best to push these memories away and put my focus back on Angela.

She nodded in understanding and started putting everything away. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But you're going to have fun tonight," she said as she opened the door.

I nodded, still not quite sure, and walked out of the room. The television was blaring from downstairs and I could make out Cole sitting on the couch. He glanced at the steps before focusing on the tv again, only to make a quick double-take back to us. We walked into the living room to see the three men sitting in their respected seats. They had all changed their clothes to casual wear. I never knew the Joker owned anything else other than his purple jacket and green vest.

"What'd you think, J?" Angela asked as she gave a seductive turn. I, on the other hand, was much less outgoing. My eyes were glued to the floor as the guys got out of their seats.

"Beautiful-_ah_," I heard the Joker mutter. I looked up and saw his eyes on me, a wide small smile on his face. Angela seemed to notice this as well and she cleared her throat loudly. The Joker wrapped his arm around her midsection and whispered something in her ear that brought that now familiar smile back to her face. She walked past me with a little skip in her step and I went to follow her.

"Ah, no you don't," the Joker said from behind me. I was pulled back harshly, forced to make full impact with his body. His outside appearance may have changed, but his insides and demeanor were exactly the same.

"I don't want you pulling any stunts tonight. None…_at_…all," he said sternly, causing me to nod quickly. The sensation of his lips brushing against the nape of my neck as he spoke caused goose bumps to appear on my arms.

"That's my girl," he said as he pushed me so I would start walking. We finally made it out to the car where I sat in between him and Angela as always.

"We have to go to Tonic," Angela said.

What was a club even like? I didn't have to wait long to find out. We made it to the heart of Gotham in minutes where there was an abundance of young people out walking around. We parked in a lot across the street from a black building that had the word 'TONIC' written in blue, fluorescent lights on the front of it. There was a line of at least forty people waiting outside and I could already hear the techno music blasting. The Joker led us to the very front of the line where he began to talk to the guard.

"Hey, Joker. The boss is expecting ya," the large guard told him.

"Good. Don't want to look uninvited," the Joker responded as we walked into the building.

The smell of smoke and alcohol hit my nose in a harsh wave that caused me to cough slightly; I definitely wasn't used to nightclubs. The sound was deafening at first, but as we walked further into the room it got more manageable. Strobe lights were filling every corner, keeping perfect time with the beat of the music. Blue laser lights shone down from above the crowd, highlighting different groups on the packed dance floor every second.

"You come with me," I heard the Joker say from behind me. When I turned around, I saw him and Cole going up a staircase that led to the second floor balcony.

"They have to go do some business with Maroni," Angela said in my ear. "Let's go get some drinks." She tugged my arm and led me toward the bar area.

"I'll take two screwdrivers," she told the bartender. I was too busy looking around the room at the sweaty dancers who were bumping and grinding against one another to notice the drink sitting in front of me.

"You better drink that before I down it myself," Angela said with a laugh. I looked over and saw that she'd already drank her shot.

"I don't drink," I said, shaking my head at her. She raised her eyebrows at me and lifted up the glass to hold it in front of my face.

"This hardly counts as drinking," she said as she put the glass in my hand. "It'll be over in a second," she said with a devious smirk.

I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to get out of this one. I could taste a hint of orange juice as I put the glass to my lips. I tipped it in the air and allowed the liquid to slide down my throat. My first instinct was to run to the bathroom and puke it right back up. There was a slight burning sensation mixed with a tangy taste in my mouth now.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Angela asked. I could tell the expression on my face was causing her a great amount of amusement. "Let's go dance."

**10 Minutes Later**

The heat was becoming overwhelming now. Everyone around me was grinding against each other to the beat of the music, and I had no idea who was behind me. Whoever it was, he was definitely getting a little too touchy feely for my liking. Angela was a few people away from me talking with some girl she knew back in high school. I sighed when I felt the person behind me move and another person take his place. It was too crowded to try and get away, so I was currently stuck. His arms wrapped around my waist in a tight hold and I felt hot air tickle the back of my neck as the person got closer to me. This was all just too much. I tried to turn around so I could tell the guy off, but, to my frightened dismay, found his grip was too strong to get out of.

"You'd think I'd brought you hear against your own will," the voice said, followed by the all-too-familiar high pitched laugh. I heard him lick his lips in that habitual way as his mouth got closer to my ear. "Do you want to know something?" he asked. "I'll show ya…" I felt myself beginning to shake as he gripped onto my arm and began to pull me through the crowd.

I noticed people turning there heads and staring at me with baffled expressions. They probably recognized me from the all of the media my face had been plastered to lately. I turned my head back in the direction we were walking and saw that we were headed for a closed, black door. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I imagined the possibilities of what he could be about to do to me. He yanked open the door and threw me inside so I landed on my knees. The door slammed and I hastily climbed back up to my feet. Just as I found myself able to stand up straight I was thrown against the wall. My head collided with the wall and I had to blink a few times to get the stars to vanish. Once my vision became clear again, I was shocked to see the Joker's face mere centimeters from my own. I couldn't help but notice the little speck of green in his dark eyes…

"I have just one question for you. Do you know why you were put in the care of the Mr. Perfect, Brucey Wayne?" he asked viciously. Why was he interested in that?

"I-I don't know," I said honestly.

"Really? DON'T_ LIE_ TO ME!" he screamed in my face, causing me to cringe.

"Honestly; my parents never told me anything," I said. A single tear escaped the brim of my eye, leaving a wet trail down my cheek as it slowly fell.

"That's interesting," he said with a smile. "Very interesting-_ah_." I narrowed my eyes wondering why that would interest him at all.

"Maybe your parents never wanted you in the first place," he began with a sadistic look in his eyes and the nod of his head. "They probably welcomed death with open arms when they got in that little car wreck," he said, gripping my arm tighter with each word.

I began to shake my head before I froze completely. My heart felt like it had jumped out of my throat as a cold feeling washed over my body. "H-how did you know my parents died in a car accident?" My voice was barely above a whisper as I regarded his features.

His eyes widened for a split second before quickly forming into that sadistic glare. I saw his arm rise out of the corner of my eye, but didn't have time to react before his fist collided with my cheek. The taste of warm, metallic liquid entered my mouth as it exited the inside of my cheek.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked unsteadily. At this point I wasn't sure if I really wanted a straight answer from him. Actually, I wasn't even sure if he was capable of giving a straight answer. The truth is always harder than pretend.

"You're just too much fun…I can't go back now," he said as he rubbed my sore cheek with his bare hand. What did he mean by that last part? He was a murdering psychopath. All he had to do was go back to terrorizing Gotham to get his fix. I had absolutely nothing to do with the matter.

"That doesn't make any sense! Why can't you just let me go?" I asked helplessly, tears streaming down my face.

"That's just it," he said angrily, though he still had that extended smile on his face. I shook my head, still not understanding anything he said.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of panicked voices outside of the door. "Ah, the sound of _terror_," he said as he let go of me and walked over to the door. When he opened it I saw people rushing toward the exit. I gasped when a body landed with a 'thud' in front of the Joker who just let out a laugh. "Looks like we have com-pa-_ny_."

He stalked back over to me and lifted my up bridal style. I shrieked and hit him in the chest. "Put me down!" I yelled angrily as we made our way back onto the noisy dance floor. I'd rather face whatever was out there than be held by him at this point.

"J! Oh, you have her! I thought she'd ran off again…" Angela exclaimed as she made her way over to us looking disheveled. Bob and Cole came up behind her within seconds with frantic expressions.

"It's the Batman," Cole said. "He's up there with Maroni. We have to go _now_."

We started in the direction of the door, me still in the arms of my captor. Two burly men were the only thing standing in the way of us and exiting the building.

"What's the problem fellas?" the Joker asked in amusement.

"Nothin' much Joker. We're here for one thing and one thing only," the man on the right said with a deep voice.

"And what would that be?" Bob asked, taking a step forward with a protective stance.

"Her," the other man said as he pointed at…me?


	17. A New Enemy

**A/N: Thank you to all of my returning readers/reviewers as well as all of my new ones. There are way too many to name right here, but know that I appreciate each and every one of you so much for reading this story. I told you all the next chapter would be out soon! Hehe. I know there isn't a lot of Joker/Jessica time in this one, but the next one definitely will. I know it's not a long one either, but I really wanted to get it out. This chapter was mainly written to give more insight into the plot and add more twists to the story. I hope you enjoy and remember to review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters/scenes/quotes. I do own Jessica, any original characters and the plot. Now on with the story! :D**

**2 ½ Hours Earlier- Bruce Wayne's POV**

"We keep a record of everyone that steps foot into this building that is looking for information on a citizen, especially the people who are from out of town." The woman from the reception desk was now leading Bruce to the downstairs archives as she explained what they were going to be searching for. After a few minutes they finally arrived in a gloomy room with filing cabinets everywhere. The sight of all the drawers overwhelmed Bruce, but felt a slight sense of relief in the fact that the lady guiding him seemed to know right where she was going.

"This is where we keep the visitors information by date," she said. She opened up a drawer that was labeled 'March-May 2008.' She flicked through the many papers that were neatly placed in the drawer for about thirty seconds before pulling one out with an 'Aha!'

"I think this is the guy you're looking for," she said as she handed him the paper. Bruce took it gently out of her hands, though on the inside he wanted to rip it away from her grasp and devour the information he'd been longing to find for so long. He felt his temper rising as he scanned the information filled out on the document.

_Reston City Hall:_

_Visitor Information Document_

_Name: Bruce Wayne_

_Age: 27_

_Visiting From: Gotham City_

_Documents Obtained:_

_Birth Certificate- Jessica Leigh Wayne_

_Real Estate Record- Kevin and Catherine Wayne_

_Medical Record- Jessica Leigh Wayne_

_Crime Record- Kevin Wayne_

_Crime Record- Catherine Wayne_

_..._

The list of documents went on and on. While Bruce already had all of the documents obtained in the manila folder he'd found at the Joker's old hideout, the information on the sheet served as a terrible confirmation that all of this was real. He could feel his face turning red due to the sheer anger and frustration he was feeling.

"_I'm_ Bruce Wayne and I certainly did not come in here to retrieve these documents. What kind of establishment is this?" he asked irritably, though he was trying his best to stay calm.

The woman in front of him looked taken aback. She took the sheet from his hand and scanned over it for a moment before slowly looking back up at him. "Well, sir, we have a policy here that the person whom the documents are regarding must sign, therefore giving the visitor the right to see them…"

"So he was able to fake the signature of my uncle-"

"No, this is the real signature of Mr. Kevin Wayne," she said and handed him the paper. "I clearly remember him coming in with the other man and signing this sheet," she said as she handed the paper back to him.

His eyes traveled to the bottom of the page where, clear as day, was his deceased uncle's signature. The man he had trusted and loved had knowingly signed his own daughter's life away.

**Jessica POV- Present Time **

I heard and felt the Joker begin to chuckle as he set me down on the floor. Angela grasped my hand and pulled me back behind the group of them so I could no longer see the burly men.

"Ah, isn't that interesting. Because, you see, this is my possession. You can't just take someone's stuff away from them now, can you?" the Joker asked in amusement. "Didn't your mothers teach you any manners?" he asked with the shake of his head, a false look of disappointment on his face.

"I believe we can. Our boss has given us strict orders-"

"Who exactly is your boss?" Bob asked, his hand now gripping his gun rather tightly, causing his knuckles to turn white.

The man on the right huffed slightly. "Wouldn't you like to know? We were given one assignment, and we're not gonna leave here until it's completed," the man said as he pulled out his gun and aimed it at Bob. That's when the battle began.

Everything happened so quickly it seemed like only a blur. Gunshots were being fired off like crazy, smoke and bullets going in every direction. Angela pushed down on my shoulder and I fell to the floor in a ball, narrowly missing a bullet that had zoomed over my head. Looking up, I saw a scrawny man with black hair charge at Angela with full speed. She raised her leg and kicked him in the crotch, causing him to fall to the ground with a look of unbearable pain on his face. She kicked him one last time in the face before shooting him square in the chest. I didn't know whether to feel grateful or sorry for this man's death, but I didn't have much time to think of anything. Someone roughly grabbed my arm from behind and began to drag me across the room. BANG! My arm was let go of as I heard a loud thump, which I assumed was my attacker's body falling to the ground. I scurried to my feet, now shaking all over, and surveyed the room. Bob was facing off with one of the men who had first stopped us and thankfully he looked to be winning. A few feet away from him, Cole was on the ground being kicked continuously by a man with curly black hair. A strange sense of protectiveness rushed through me. While Cole was one of my captors, I had a feeling that staying with him would be better than staying with the man who was now beating him to a bloody pulp. I looked around frantically for anything that could be used to hit the guy with. The only thing that stuck out was an empty Jack Daniels bottle that was sitting on a nearby table. Doing my best to dodge the punches and bullets that were flying everywhere, I quickly made my way over to the table. I picked up the bottle and smashed it over the man's head as hard as I could, flinching as glass flew everywhere. A sense of dread rushed through me as he slowly turned around with a dazed look in his eye, but this soon turned to relief when he passed out at my feet.

Cole was looking up at me, blood covering his face. I lent him my hand, which he took with a grateful expression. "Thanks," he muttered.

"No problem," I said, giving him a small smile. Our little "moment" didn't last long, however; the fighting had yet to cease and it seemed as though it was just getting more intense with every second that passed.

"MY TURN!" I heard the Joker yell and looked over to see him begin to fire perfect shots at the two people who had been stupid enough to go after him.

His maniac laugh filled the room as the two men fell to the ground in unison. Our eyes caught each others for the first time since the fight began. His contemplative stare turned to one of anger in the matter of a nanosecond, leaving me to wonder what I'd done this time. My stomach dropped down to my feet as he raised his gun and pointed it right at me. I now understood why those person in the movies continue to stand in the path of the bullet when they know they are about to die. It's as if a feeling of cold terror overtakes your body, leaving you glued to the floor, completely unaware of how to move. Your blood begins to pound in your ears and everything else around you seems to no longer exist.

I watched as his pointer finger pulled the trigger and braced myself for the pain that never came. Instead, I heard a scream of agony come from behind me and turned to see a short man with a pointy nose holding onto his right arm, which was now streaming crimson blood. I staggered back a few steps, a mix of disgust and relief rushing through me. It was then that I realized the room had gone exceptionally quiet and looked around to see a number of bodies lying motionless on the floor, none of them being one of the Joker's cronies.

"Look who decided to join in on the fun-_ah_," the Joker said in annoyance as he walked in front of me in what looked to be a protective stance.

"T-this isn't what it s-seems like Joker," the stout man said, revealing a set of pointy yellow teeth that caused me to unwillingly gasp.

"Really, Penguin? Then why don't you…enlighten me," the Joker said with the smack of his lips.

"It's all Scarecrow…he's the one behind this little scheme. I'm merely going along for the ride," the man said, now looking up at the Joker with a small smile.

The Joker was silent for about ten seconds before speaking again, this time with no hint of amusement whatsoever. "What does the Scarecrow want with Jessica?"

The sound of my name emitting from his lips sent a chill down my spine; he only ever said my name when he was either really angry or it was just the two of us.

"Well…you see…she's been all over the papers lately and he thinks that, well, if he takes her, he'll be able to…get to you," the man I now knew as Penguin said with a shaky voice.

The Joker walked the few remaining steps it took for him to bend down and grasp the ugly man by the collar of his shirt. He threw his gun to the floor and pulled his pocket knife out of his pants pocket.

"Please don't kill me, Joker! I'll do anything you want!" Penguin said desperately as his eyes quickly moved from the knife to the Joker's face.

"Ah, don't worry, buddy. I'm not going to kill you," he said with the lick of his lips. "I want you to go back to Scarecrow and tell him that if he tries to pull another stunt like this, I'll personally pay him a little invite and show him how you really kill somebody," the Joker said menacingly, a hint of humor in his voice.

Penguin nodded frantically. "I will, I will. I'll make sure nothing else happens," he said and let out a sigh of relief when the Joker let him fall to the ground. He quickly scurried to his feet and, with one final look behind him, ran out the door onto the cold streets of Gotham.


	18. Affection

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you to all my readers who have been so amazing while waiting for this chapter. In the next few chapters, including this one, I'm going to be developing Jessica's relationship with the Joker along with the other characters in the series. I'm also bringing in some more twists! (hehe) I hope you all enjoy this one. Please remember to review and tell me what you think; I love hearing from all of you!**

**Thanks to all my returning readers as well as my new ones: DarkHero87, IrishPixy, angelika04, darkart865, DrakkenWasHere, orangesplot, Harlot Von Charlotte, PotcWright21, dreykar, DemonStealer, MrsKiLupin-Darcy and lolmylife. You're all amazing at life! Now on with the story :)**

* * *

We all stared aimlessly at the door the Penguin had just scurried out of. I could feel my unsteady breathing slowly returning to its normal pattern as the recent events replayed themselves over and over again in my head. As if to drive me even crazier, a new array of questions was beginning to form in my tired mind.

Why was that Penguin guy really here? Who was Scarecrow? Why did he seem to think he could get to the Joker through me? Worst of all, what if he came after me again, but next time succeeded?

I desperately tried to erase the last scenario from my mind, but it seemed to be firmly cemented there now. Thankfully the silence was broken by Bob, allowing me to move the worrisome question to the back of my mind for the time being and focus on what my captors had planned for our next little "adventure."

"What are we going to do now, boss?" Bob asked as he chewed on his lip; a nervous habit that I'd noticed he had picked up in the last few months.

I let out a barely audible sigh as everyone, including myself, turned to look at the Joker. To my surprise, he was staring at me with a faraway look in his eyes, his eyebrows scrunched together as if contemplating something. Before I could fully assess his expression, his head immediately turned to look at Bob in that sideways fashion of his. He licked his lips before showing us that demented smile again, as if the fight that had just taken place was nothing to him. Though by the way he had been looking at me before, that couldn't have been true.

"I say we all go home and bask in the light of our recent victory," he said with a small laugh that somehow still seemed to fill the room. He scanned the destruction around us quickly, glancing at me quickly, before heading towards the exit. Angela linked her arm with mine and began to follow behind her beloved Joker, Bob and Cole already outside. For once I was more than willing to follow, but something else caught my attention. Sitting on the floor about five feet away was a small piece of notebook paper with some writing on it that I couldn't distinguish from so far away. Curiosity got the better of me; I came to a stop and slid my arm away from Angela's.

"Jessica?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

After walking the few steps it took to cover the short distance, I kneeled down and picked up the paper. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I could hear the hammering in my ears. What was I so nervous about?

The first thing written on it was an address; 256 Harrison Street.

It was times like this that I wished I'd had time to learn the streets of Gotham. Of course, I'd been ripped of that right due to circumstances beyond my control. Below the address was a short message that read:

_Everything's ok. I'm always watching._

I read over it a second time to see if I was missing some sort of secret or subliminal message. But after flipping it over and seeing nothing, then reading the short message yet again more carefully, I was convinced I wasn't. Of course, this note could have been for anyone. Someone could have dropped it during all of the chaos that had ensued earlier or maybe even before that; this was a nightclub after all. I just couldn't shake the feeling that his message was strategically placed for me to find. The phrase "there is no such thing as coincidences" caused a small smile to form on my face. There was something about this chicken scratch handwriting that was comforting rather than menacing, though I knew it didn't belong to anyone I knew.

The sound of those all too familiar footsteps coming up behind me wiped the smile right off my face and threw me into a slight panic.

I hurriedly shoved the paper into my bra, adjusting it slightly to ensure that it was completely hidden. While this felt extremely awkward, it wasn't like I had another choice; there was no way I was going to let _him_ see this and it wasn't like this dress I was wearing came with pockets. I stood up and turned around just in time to find myself face to face with the Joker.

"What do you think you're doing, doll?" he asked, glaring down at me with those charcoal black eyes.

"I had to adjust my shoe. It was bothering me after all the running around," I replied innocently, surprised at how easily the lie slipped off of my tongue. I stood there silently hoping that all the nervousness I felt inside wasn't revealing itself through my demeanor and felt a wave of relief when he smiled down at me, accusations seemingly pushed aside.

"See, I'm a man of understanding," he said with the smack of his ruby red lips. His arm slid around my shoulders and he began to guide me towards the door. I looked over at the spot Angela had been standing at and felt a surge of guilt when I saw she was no longer there. I knew how jealous she felt when the Joker showed me attention over her. The truth was, I feared that she would grow to hate me yet again and I would be stuck with no one.

When we stepped outside there was a surprisingly cold chill in the air that caused a shiver to run throughout my body. Feeling this, the Joker's arm traveled from my shoulders to wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My heart skipped a beat as the warmth from his body made its way to mine. Reminding myself that this was one of the most evil people on the face of the Earth, as well as my captor, I refrained from moving even closer to use him as a human furnace. He opened the door to the white van and I slid in beside Angela. I caught her eye and gave her a small smile, though my eyes showed nothing but concern and guilt. She returned the gesture, though it was easy to tell it wasn't completely sincere, before turning to look out the window.

The Joker's arm rested on the seat behind my head, his hand falling onto my left shoulder where I could feel him lightly playing with my hair. This was a habit that had become much more frequent lately.

The ride back to the house seemed shorter than it ever had before. I was much too preoccupied with trying to decipher what the message on the small piece of paper could mean. I was actually a bit shocked when we pulled into the empty drive way of the large, suburban house and began exiting the car. I slid to the left so I could get out on Angela's side, but almost immediately had my arm yanked painfully in the other direction, causing me to slam into the Joker.

"Don't want a repeat of one of your escape attempts," he said darkly, the words seething like venom from his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and realized how heavy they were. Walking to the front door seemed like a hard task and a yawn escaped me as I stepped into the bright, warm house.

"I'll take her upstairs, J," Angela said in a much quieter tone than she normally used, causing me to feel even more guilt.

As if making sure we weren't up to anything, the Joker looked from Angela's face to my tired one before nodding once and walking away. I watched him leave with a confused expression. It wasn't as if I was sorry he hadn't given me the third degree, I was very much thankful for it. It was just…odd of him not say something. So out of character. I shook my head and followed Angela up the stairs, realizing I shouldn't bother with it. Bothering with it would just put me on the fast track to going completely crazy; the outcome of most people who tried to figure out the Joker.

When we got to the room with the king sized bed I excused myself to use the bathroom. After doing the usual routine (however usual a routine could be in a kidnapping situation), Angela knocked on the door and gave me a set of pajamas along with some underwear.

"Don't worry, they're clean," she said with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I figured. I know you're not that evil," I responded feeling some awkwardness in the air, but giving her a smile nonetheless. I contemplated whether or not I wanted to bring up anything that had to do with the Joker and her just as she began to walk out the door.

"Thank you," I blurted out before I could think.

She turned around and this time gave me the confused look. "For what?"

"The clothes," I held them up slightly and paused a second before continuing. "…And being so understanding through everything lately," I said with the shrug of my shoulders. "You've made a complete 180 since the first time we met, and I really appreciate it."

Her eyes stayed fixed on me before showing a genuine smile. "You're welcome. Just don't mention it. Really, don't mention it," she said with a smirk.

I nodded with a laugh. "Your secret's safe with me."

She nodded once before closing the door and leaving me by myself for the first time in awhile. I thanked God that there was at least one thing I didn't have to worry about now. I quickly took the piece of notebook paper out of my bra and searched the room for a safe place to hide it. After scanning the area as thoroughly as possible, I decided to stick it in the small space between the dresser and the wall. I changed into the blue t-shirt and striped pajama pants as fast as possible before running a brush through my hair and crawling into the big, soft bed.

For a second, everything felt normal. Then the fact that I was kidnapped by the Joker, the most dangerous criminal in Gotham, came back into my exhausted mind. I closed my eyes with a sigh, ready to welcome some much needed sleep, which I had a feeling wouldn't be that hard to find at this point. The creak of the door opening stirred me slightly as I fell into that half awake, half asleep state. I didn't have the energy or the want to open my eyes and see who it was, fearing the risk of never getting to sleep. From what seemed like so far away, I heard a rough voice whisper "I'm sorry" before I fell into the sweet bliss of dreamland.


	19. Vivid Dreams

**A/N: Thank you to all my returning and new readers- Ce-Ce Riddle, TheCheshireCat101, Gaibriel Minuit Noire, Sadistic Dreams, demonmyst, PotcWright21, Tanny-chan, dark's silver shadow, KillerKitten4000, Bella Marie Swan Manson, xxCuratorAngelusxx, SereneLoonyLovegood, I'm a proud leach lover, PoisonousAngel, MeLikeTheJoker and .Pride818- you're all amazing at life! As always, reviews are very much appreciated and they pretty much make my life :D Here are the replies to reviewers who didn't have emails, so I couldn't respond to their wonderful reviews until now!**

**kimm4580- you're welcome! haha. Hope you like this chapter!**

**RO- Aww, I'm so glad you've followed this story; you're amazing at life! **

**Kyriel- Sorry about those cliffhangers, I just can't stay away from them haha. I feel so special that this is the only story on your favorites :D Don't worry, I'm a Joker-fanatic, too, so there's definitely going to be some precious moments in this story hehe. I really wanted to email you back, but the review only had a '…' where your email address was supposed to be :[ **

**Kate- Thanks so much! Tell Carlie I said thanks, too :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Batman characters. I do own the plot, Jessica Wayne, Angela and any other original characters. Now on with the story!**

* * *

_I was sitting in the back of my father's Toyota Highlander. It was pitch black outside except for the occasional stoplight or house with its living room lights on. There was an uneasy feeling in the air with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife._

"_This can't keep going on like this. What, are we just going to let him control our lives now?" Catherine Wayne asked in despair from the passenger seat. _

"_I know, sweetie, but we don't have a choice-"_

"_Of course we do! This is our daughter we're talking about, Kevin. Our daughter!" Catherine yelled angrily. _

_Kevin Wayne sighed sadly from the driver's seat, making it seem as if this wasn't the first time the married couple had had this conversation. "If we don't do what he says he'll kill all of us and destroy Wayne Enterprises. I can't risk anything else happening to this family," he replied pleadingly. _

_Catherine shook her head, tears now forming in her eyes. "It just isn't fair. Why did he have to do this to us? Why her?" _

"_I don't know, sweetie. Hopefully this will all be over s-"_

_A blinding light suddenly filled the car along with the sound of screeching brakes. Catherine Wayne let out a blood curdling scream as the front end of the car was smashed in by a tractor trailer. An evil laugh that seemed so familiar marked the end to this horrid nightmare…_

My eyes flew open as my breath hitched in my throat. That was by far the most vivid dream I had ever had about my parent's car accident. For one, there had never been any dialogue that I could understand in the others. Two, this one seemed much more real.

The shaking had finally subsided when I allowed my surroundings to set in. With this I realized that my dream may not have been the only cause for my abrupt awakening. The Joker, whom I assumed was sitting on the end of the bed due to the obvious shift of weight, was watching what sounded like a press conference. I could hear Harvey Dent's smooth, calm voice coming out of the speakers, reasoning with the press.

"…the Batman is an outlaw, but that's not why we're demanding that he turn himself in. We're doing it because we're scared. We've been happy to let the Batman clean up our streets until now-"

"Things are worse than ever!" exclaimed what sounded like a very angry citizen.

"Yes," he continued, "but the night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise the dawn is coming."

I smiled slightly, allowing Harvey's words to soak in. Hopefully this applied to my situation as well. There seemed to be no sense of time while I was being held captive by the Joker. Truthfully, I didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. Maybe it was best that I didn't know how many days or weeks I'd been tortured by this insane man- if you could even call him a man.

I shook out of my thoughts and listened to the news program again. The Joker was giggling softly and muttering something that I couldn't quite pick up. I had the feeling he was simply mocking Harvey, which surprisingly angered me. Harvey was one of the people I'd grown close to after my escape and I'd learned that there was much more to him than the "White Knight" claim pinned onto him by the public.

"So be it, take the Batman into custody."

My eyebrow's scrunched up in confusion as his words hit me full force. Take Batman into custody? Had Gotham gone completely mad!?

What I heard next made my jaw drop in shock.

"_I am the Batman."_

I refrained myself from turning around so I could see the screen. I just wanted a few more minutes of peace before the Joker realized I was awake. This small task, however, became much harder when I felt the weight on the bed shift yet again. In a matter of seconds the Joker was lying right beside me (behind me to be more exact.) He was so close I could feel his warm breath tickling the back of my neck, causing me to suppress a shiver. I immediately closed my jaw and eyes trying to feign the look of sleep. I steadied my breathing to the point where I could actually feel the lightweight sense that comes in the stage just before you dose off. Apparently my acting looked even better on the outside; out of no where I felt an arm slip around my waist and the Joker was even closer, the warmth of his body surrounding me. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears and was pretty sure he could hear my heartbeat going crazy in my chest. If he did, though, he didn't let that stop him from placing a soft kiss on my temple.

How many times had he done something like this when I was really asleep? This wasn't the Joker I knew. There was no cussing, blood or…chaos. This, in fact, was the most peaceful I'd felt in a long time which scared me to death.

I heard the door to the bedroom give a little squeak as it was slowly opened. "What is it?" I heard the Joker growl by my ear, though he was a lot quieter than normal.

"I-umm…you told me to come in here and tell you about the press conference," I heard Angela's sad voice mutter. A pang of guilt took over my heart as I imagined what her face looked like as she took in the scene before her: a sleeping me being embraced by the Joker in a very un-Joker like way. I decided that facing what this day was going to bring was better than making Angela suffer any more than she had to.

Letting out a heavy breath to make it seem like I just woke up, I stirred lightly and opened my eyes. I heard a snarl come from deep within the Joker's chest and thought 'Oh shit.'

"I already watched the conference, thank you very much-_ah_," he said, snapping at the end.

I sat up slowly and looked over at Angela and was crushed to see the look on her face. She looked to be on the brink of tears as she slowly nodded and turned to close door.

"Angela…" I said before I could think, my voice slightly hoarse. She turned her head slightly to meet my eyes and I gave her a small smile which she didn't return before closing the door completely. I let out a sigh before looking to the Joker who was staring up at me, now lying on his side, his hand supporting his head which made him look like a model. I stifled a laugh which caused him to glare.

"Oh, please do to tell me what's so funny. You know I'm a man who loves to laugh," he said, giving off one of his big, cheesy smiles that revealed every one of his yellow teeth.

"The way you're laying makes you look like you're posing for a magazine," I said, unable to hold back a smile now.

He sat up slowly, wiping the smile right off my face. Every move he made gave off a menacing vibe, and I could never tell when he was going to start yelling or what could set him off.

"Aww, don't stop smiling now. You're so bea-ti-ful when you smile," he said huskily. He placed one of his gloved hands onto my cheek as he gazed into my eyes. I couldn't help but gaze back as I fell into those dark pools of blackness which normally seemed so lifeless. Now, however, there was a little light in them. A light that said there used to be a man there, but that that man was long gone now.

Maybe there was something I could do to smother his maniac tendencies. Maybe I could be the hero for once. Maybe I was just what the Joker needed to change…

"And I'm sure you're going to be smiling even more tonight. We're going to go on a little quest for handsome Harvey, Harvey Dent," he said, patting my cheek lightly before jumping off the bed with a chilling laugh. I shook my head. There was nothing I could do to change him. If the trained psychiatrics at Arkham Asylum couldn't do anything, what made me think I could? But there was something different about me in the Joker's eyes, that much was obvious. What it was, though, I didn't know. I thought back to what he had just said and looked over at him as he "fixed" his hair in a mirror. This just consisted of him tossling it from side to side with one hand.

"What are you going to do to Harvey Dent?" I asked in a worried tone.

He turned around, his back slightly hunched over, licking his lips in that habitual way of his. "Well, I'm not a planning man per say," he said as he took a step towards the bed. He got a thoughtful look on his face as he scrunched his face up and looked up at the ceiling. "But it I know it's going to have something to do with dynamite. BOOM!" he yelled the last part unexpectedly, causing me to jump. He began laughing uncontrollably, tears now forming in his eyes.

"You're just too cute, Jess-_ee_-ca," he said, pronouncing my name weirdly.

I shook my head and stood up. After dealing with this "lifestyle" for so long, I learned that there really was an easy way or a hard way to deal with the Joker. I could either mope around and refuse to go, which would end with me being beat to (almost) death. Or, I could just get this day over with and pray that no one gets hurt in the process (which was normally useless.)

"So, when are leaving?" I asked with a newfound sense of confidence.

I cringed as the Joker smiled at me, a devious gleam in his eye.

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**A/N: I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I figured this would satisfy you wonderful readers until the next chapter which will contain a lot of action and a new twist! Thanks for reading and reviews are always very welcome hehe!**


	20. Hungry Eyes

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A/N: Thank you to all my returning readers as well as my new ones: BlueRaposa, xtwilightxo, animeotaku88, Arrienia, Heavenstar3, xcalisweetthangx, HopelessHearts1140, CaitlinXcowz, Dimensional traveler, Ossiana DeLorme, xAvaAdorex and CaptainJacksBabe. You're all amazing and thank you so much for either reviewing or adding me to some alert or favorite! Also, I switched the category from the Batman comics to The Dark Knight category. When I first started writing this story, the latter of the two categories didn't exist and I just never got around to placing it where it belonged, but it's there now. I took a big risk in the last chapter by switching up the Joker's demeanor and I'm so glad you wonderful readers liked it. Don't worry, though; he is still the Joker in this story and will never make a full out change haha.

**Kyriel: I was able to read the first part of the address, but it didn't show which website it was. UGH! For some reason this site won't bring the '.com' part through haha. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any aspects of The Dark Knight or quotes I use from it or the comics in this story. I do own the plot, Jessica Wayne and any other original characters. On with the story!**

* * *

The Joker took another step towards me, a newfound gleam in his eyes. It was then that I noticed he had applied a fresh coat of warpaint to his face, now looking like the Joker once again.

"Well, it seems our little outlaw the Batman is none other than Gotham's shining White Knight. What a wonderful twist in things, don't ya think?" he asked as he smiled widely.

My eyes traveled down to the floor as I soaked this information in. There was definitely something that didn't seem right about this. Anyone who had come into contact with Harvey Dent knew that he was a very straightforward, rule abiding type of guy. While he was an intelligent and brave man, he didn't strike me as a vigilante who went around at night in a bat suit and beat criminals to a bloody pulp. I looked back up at the Joker who was surveying my response to this news. He seemed to believe this information was factual and I surely wasn't up to explaining my perspective on the situation. That would only cause more trouble for all of Gotham.

I nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't say a wonderful twist, but it's definitely…something else," I responded neutrally.

He took yet another step towards me, dragging his back foot forward dramatically. "Ah, come one, now. This is going to be fun-_ah_. It's like a double kill," he said, pausing to lick his lips. "See, I get to kill Batman, the hated protector of the city, while also wiping out the cleaner of the streets. It's a win-win situation," he said in a carefree tone. His eyes, however, had changed somehow; they now had that menacing look in them that brought a cold fear to my heart. "This city is mine. These so called civilized people are going to be bowing at my feet before long. And you, my dear," he said as he finally made that last step which brought him right in front of me, "will be my queen."

I looked up at him questioningly, my eyebrows coming together as I tried to sort out what his words meant exactly. I was shaken out of my thoughts as our little coversation was interrupted by Bob whom had just walked in the bedroom door.

"They're takin' him to county, boss," Bob said with a smirk.

"Harvey Dent in the county jail. I never thought I'd live to see the day," the Joker said before letting out a laugh. That definitely wasn't something I ever believed would happen, either. The county jail was where the worst of the worst criminals were taken. I felt a pang in my chest as I pictured him standing among the people who he himself had put in there.

"Time to shake this town up just a teeny bit more," the Joker said. I heard someone else walk in and saw Angela standing with a folded up outfit in her arms. She placed the clothes on the unmade bed and walked out without a word. "There ya go, darlin'," he said and I rolled my eyes due to the use of his pet names for me. He made eye contact with Bob and nodded his head once. Bob nodded back and stepped out of the room with a final glance at me before closing the door.

I picked up the small pile of clothes, which I now saw consisted of a pair of dark blue jeans and a purple v-neck t-shirt, and headed to the bathroom.

"Now there's no need for that," I heard the Joker's husky voice say from behind me. I turned around and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Huh?" I asked, realizing how stupid I must have sounded. This only seemed to cause my captor even more joy as he sat down in a chair by the wall and stretched his legs out as if to make himself comfortable.

"I think we know each other well enough to undress in front of each other. After all, that's a sign of a com-for-ta-ble relationship, isn't it?" he asked, staring up at me with mischievious eyes.

"I'd actually prefer getting dressed in the bathroom," I said with a bit more attitude than I should have used. I turned around again, hoping that this time I wouldn't be stopped. This, of course, was only wishful thinking.

"I didn't give you a choice, did I?" I heard him literally growl from behind me. I stopped where I was, my back still to him. I couldn't believe I was going to have to do this, but I didn't see how I could weasel my way out of this situation without getting myself killed. After all, I was probably on thin ice with him after my last escape attempt at the memorial service.

I sighed in defeat and heard him chuckle from behind me. "Turn around so I can get the full…effe-ct," he said, dragging out the last syllable of the word.

I turned around slowly, deciding that I would keep my head held high to show that he hadn't completely broken me. I looked in his eyes and found something there that made the pit of my stomach drop to the floor. There was a sort of hunger in his eyes. The type of hunger that mother's warn their daughters about from the time they're born. The type of hunger that a father prays will never show up in a boyfriend's eyes. I couldn't help but feel a warm blush rise to my cheeks, knowing that they must be glowing red now.

Rather than try and put it off any furthur, I decided that it would be better to just get it over with. I gripped the hem of my shirt and pulled it up over my head, throwing it down on the bed in frustration. I quickly unfolded the new top and slipped it over my head. Avoiding the Joker's eyes at all cost, I pulled down my pajama pants. I grabbed the blue jeans off the bed and slipped them on quickly. It was only when I went to button them up that I realized I was shaking. I found myself simply fumbling with the button when I heard the man across from me clear his throat. Letting out an angry breath of air, I looked up to see him signaling me over with a single finger. I closed the distance between us slowly, surprising myself when I stopped right in front of him. He licked his lips once before looking down at the button of my jeans. My heart was pounding as he reached out and slowly slid the button in the hole, a task that I had found myself physically incapable of doing seconds before. He took the zipper and zipped it up before looking up at me.

"I'm flattered; you do need me," he said in fake sweetness, causing me to feel like a small, defenseless child. I always hated having to depend on other people, and this was just degrading. I took a step back, only to have him grab my wrist in a death grip. I whimpered slightly as he yanked me forward, causing me to fall on him in a straddling position.

"Now this I could get used to, Jessica," he said deeply. "Too bad we really have to get going. No worries, though, there will be another time to have some fun."

I quickly climbed off of him, now feeling completely worthless, and turned to leave the room. I mentally cursed myself for allowing this to happen in the first place. Putting your guard down is one thing you should never do while in the presence of the Joker. Caught up in my own thoughts, I gasped in shock as I was roughly pushed onto the floor.

"It's rude to turn your back on someone while they're talking to you. Looks like that's another lesson you're going to have to learn here," he growled.

I pushed back the angry tears that were threatening to fall. I turned around so I was now looking up at him. He had a look of absolute malice on his face, like a lion about to attack his prey. Before I knew what was happening, a sharp pain took over my abdomen, causing me to curl up in a defensi ve ball. I let out a shaky breath, trying to regain a steady rhythm, only to be knocked off guard yet again by a forceful kick to the side. I could feel the bruises beginning to form as the Joker's cold laugh filled every inch of the room.

The kicking continued for what felt like hours, though it probably only lasted a few minutes. As I wrapped my arms around myself in a protective stance, a weight was suddenly on top of me. "Now give me a nice, big smile," I heard his comical sounding voice command from above me. When I continued to stare at the wall aimlessly, his gloved hand grasped my face and forced me to look at him. Tears slowly fell down my face as he purposefully put pressure on my battered body.

I shook my head slightly, my eyes telling how much I despised him due to the lack of oxygen I had in my lungs to create any words. This defiant act only earned me a hard slap to the face.

"Do you want to try that again, beautiful?" he whispered darkly.

I stared up at him for a few moments before forcing myself to raise the corners of my mouth just enough to make the smile look plausible.

"There it is," he said playfully. "That wasn't so hard, was it? See, life isn't meant to be taken seriously. Everything anybody ever valued or struggled for is just…a monstrous, demented gag. That's why I'm always laughing. That's why you should be laughing, too, Jess."

_I used to laugh..._I used to be a happy, go lucky person. Not anymore. I didn't dare say this outloud, though, unless I wanted to die right then and there. However slightly, I still had a sense of hope that this would all be over soon. Memories would always plague me, but once I had distance from the Joker, hopefully I would regain my sanity. It was this small sense of hope that made me keep my mouth shut at that moment and not scream profanities in his face like I wanted to.

The Joker stood up and walked around my limp body towards the door. I took my time while rising to my feet, my body screaming in protest all the while. I didn't dare look at myself in the mirror that was positioned on the wall. I was sure I looked just as horrible as I felt.

"No time to mope when business is to be done," the Joker said. I looked up and saw him smiling at me, his eyebrows raised as if daring me to ignore him again. It was then that I could hear a number of voices traveling up the stairs from the living room below us; definitely more voices than normal.

"What kind of business?" I asked, my hoarse voice startling me.

He licked his lips excitedly. "We're going to pay the lovely people at the bank a little visit. Then, we're gonna set this town on fire."

**15 Minutes Later**

The dirty white van that I'd spent so much time in lately came to a halt outside of the Gotham City Bank. The Joker, whom was sitting to my right as usual, opened the door and slid out of the van. I was forcefully being dragged right behind him due to the painful grip he had on my wrist. The rest of the crew, now including two males I'd never seen before, followed suit and exited the van as well. Each one of the Joker's cronies, including himself, were carrying some sort of weapon. My heart was pounding in my chest as we got closer to the glass doors. I could already make out a women and her daughter at the closest teller withdrawling cash. The little girl was wearing a little yellow dress and her light brown hair was up in a ponytail. Her whole innocent, carefree world was about to be disrupted by this monster that had burned my whole world to ashes.

A room full of voices hit me as the Joker opened the door. I jumped when a loud 'BANG' emitted from his gun. Everyone in the room whipped around to face us, some women letting out screams. The mother of the little girl lifted her up in a flash while she gazed at us curiously, not able to comprehend the danger she was now in.

"I'm here to make a large withdrawal!" the Joker yelled before laughing like a maniac.

He let go of my wrist, which was now glowing red, before walking over to the closest teller and putting his gun in his face. "You know what to do," he said with a large smile. The young man that looked to be in his mid-twenties nodded quickly and began taking out all of the money he had in his cash drawar. Meanwhile, Bob, Angela and Cole were taking care of the rest of the stations. The two men whom I didn't know were commanding all of the innocent costumers to get on the floor, placing random explosives around everyone.

"If anyone even thinks about calling a dear loved one or the wonderful police station, I will give you a real reason to cry," the Joker said as he regarded all of the innocent civilains now spread out on the floor.

Out of the corner of my mind, I saw him turn around to face where I was sitting on the floor, watching the mother trying to comfort her daughter. Tears formed in my eyes as I thought about how I wished I had someone to comfort me right now. I angrily wiped these tears away. There was no use crying over something I couldn't control. I wouldn't show weakness in a time when I needed to be stronger than ever.

Angela and Bob ran past me, both holding two large bags of cash and looking as if they were having the time of their lives. I sighed at their show of enthusiasm and continued to gaze at all of the people lying on the ground, wondering what could be going through their minds.

I was shaken out of these thoughts by a familiar sound in the distance. I raised my head so I could hear better and make sure it wasn't just my imagination.

_Sirens. _

It became apparent that I wasn't the only person who heard these.

"AHHH! I ask one teensy weensy favor of you people and you turn on me," the Joker said as he snatched the large bag of cash out of the terrified looking teller's hands. He raised the gun in his hand and pointed it at the young man. My eyes widen as I focused in on the trigger.

"I really do want to thank you for your cooperation.I saw you press that little red button right before I walked over to you," he said with the lick of his lips. "You're a true hero. Too bad you're stupid, too."

I squeezed my eyes shut as he pulled the trigger, the man's terrified face forever embedded into my memory. When an innocent life is taken before your eyes, you being to question the humanity in the world and if any really existed in the first place.

The growing sound of the sirens and sharp tug on my arm pulled me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes, vision blurry, to find myself facing the back of that familiar purple trenchcoat pulling me along. The door to the van was already opened and the Joker didn't hesitate to throw me inside. My already sore body came into contact with the floor, and I really had no motivation to get up. I heard the back door of the van slam shut telling me Cole and the others were now in before Bob's familiar driving sped us off.

I vaguely felt myself being pulled up and was plopped down on my regular seat between the Joker and Angela. That all too familiar warm breath tickled my ear as my living demon leaned in close beside me. The sound of him licking his lips was all it took to bring me into that fearful place the mere thought of him took me to.

"It only takes one bad day to reduce the sanest man to lunacy, Jessie. One horrible moment can seal a person's existance. You see, we're so much alike, you and I. We're both shattered. Broken-_ah_. The truth is, now you need me. You can't turn back from something like this and expect to make it in this world," he said as if to persuade me his words were true.

I'm ashamed to say that in the darkest corner of my mind I always knew this to be true. The reassurance of it, even if it was coming from the Joker, made me realize that my life could never be normal now. My fate was sealed.

"_You're mine now." _

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**A/N: Whoo, that was the longest one I've ever written haha. Hope you all enjoyed it. The action I promised in the last chapter will be in the next one. I got so wrapped up into writing this and I figured you guys wouldn't mind the one on one time between Jessica and the Joker hehe. Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!**


	21. The Truth Hurts

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. School, of course, has taken over yet again after a very missed winter break, but whatever haha. I want to thank all of my wonderful returning readers/reviewers as well as my new ones: JadeBouchard, x0tictactoe0x, Ex-Invader Syn, legend of ur face, gabijaluvs2rite, stella tells, XxHikaruCullenxX, ber1719, NMBC-Sally, Poison Maker, NinjaBxtch, , JAN1E, Kyaina, Me and Gaara 4ever, Hayley J., Paperinukke, makeitshallow, Mikomi Satsujin, BallroomBlitz10, Luineraugwen, xBrainsx, MagicalElf73, XxAuroraTheAlmightyxX, olpchick, burst-my-bubble, , Sarah A. Black, , Tazzz and acdecnerd. You are all amazing! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think; it's very much appreciated. **

**Here are the replies to the people who reviewed, but didn't have an email address:  
KB Kerns: I'm so glad you're still sticking with me and this story after all this time! You're freakin amazing :D**

**NinjaBxtch: Thank you so much! Well, this one isn't over quite yet, but I actually already have a sequel in mind if all of you are willing to read it haha. **

**Kim!: Wow, thank you so much for your kind words! Your review made my day…actually, it made my month :]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/scenes from "The Dark Knight" or "Batman Begins." I do own Jessica Wayne, the plot and all orignial characters. On with the story!**

**Song of the Chapter: "Runaway" by Linkin Park**

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The ride to our next destination seemed agonizingly long. The Joker's words were still sinking in, my mind desperately trying to decipher their meaning. It was rare that the Joker ever truly meant what he said; there was always some underlying message to it. Despite this insight I still couldn't figure out what he meant other than the obvious, which I wasn't yet ready to face.

With a sigh I looked past Angela and out the window to see the setting sun. The sky was light up with magnificent purples and pinks, giving off the illusion of a peaceful Gotham. I wondered if there had ever been a time when this city had been peaceful: a time without the Joker, without chaos. This statement seemed almost impossible as we came to a halt outside of a large brick building. The Joker opened the door and jerked me right out with him, gripping my already bruised wrist tightly. I glanced up at the gold letters on the front of the building with a mix of confusion and worry: Gotham Fire and Rescue Department.

I didn't have time to fully assess what was ahead before the Joker dragged me around the side of the building into an alley way with nothing but two large dumpsters. I was roughly pushed up against the wall, his body uncomfortably pinning me securely between him and the bricks.

"Now, tonight's gonna get a little crazy. I have a few fun plans I need to carry out, so I'm going to need to let you go for a little while," he said sounding serious for once. I looked up at him in disbelief. Did this mean he was letting me go?

I was shaken out of my hopeful thoughts when his gloved hand grabbed my face harshly. His thumb was slowly caressing my cheek, which was the complete opposite of his firm hold on my face. He was gazing down at me with a look of anger and anxiousness; the latter of the two was one I definitely wasn't used to seeing in his dark eyes.

"I'll come back for you. If you run, I'll find you and kill ya, okay beautiful?" he asked in a menacing tone.

I simply nodded, not feeling the courage to act defiantly…well, stupidly is probably the better word. I still couldn't believe that tomorrow at this time I wasn't going to be in the Joker's clutch. I was going to be somewhere else, anywhere else. It didn't matter to me. As long as I was away from him I had a chance of restarting my life. A small chance, but the fact that it was now there brought a happy glint to my eye.

I guess the Joker noticed this as he gave me a big smile and said, "I know you're just so excited for our next get together. Don't worry, dollface, it will be sooner than you think," he said as he agitatingly patted my cheek. A bit of the hope I'd felt dwindled away. Of course he'd come back to find me. He enjoyed controlling my world and killing my sanity.

"Why do you have to keep taking me? Haven't you had enough sick fun-"

Before I could finish my head was thrown back into the wall. I let out a small whimper as my vision slowly came back to me, the aching in the back of my head taking over all my senses.

"Don't ever question me," he growled from above me, all hints of playfulness in his voice now gone. As quickly as the anger came, however, it was gone. I felt his hand caressing my hair as he shushed me, humor now back in his voice. "The truth is you're just too much fun. I love...playing with you. You're like my favorite little toy. I could never give you up," he said, his face now only centimeters from my own.

I couldn't get the pounding sensation out of my head and his words weren't making me feel any better. I closed my eyes in the hopes of settling my mind slightly. My eyes flew open a split second later when I felt the Joker's ruby red lips come crashing down onto mine. I raised my hands to his chest to attempt to push him away, but he simply grabbed them and painfully pinned them against the wall over my head. My heart was pounding as an array of emotions took over. I was struggling to breathe as he slipped his warm tongue into my mouth and began playing with mine. I didn't have time to think of a defense mechanism to perform before he pulled away. His breathing, like mine, was heavy and coming out in pants. I glared up at him as he towered over me with a dark lust in his eyes that caused me to shiver in fear.

"Oh, how I will miss these moments while we're apart," he said with a wide smile. He let my arms go and they fell down at my sides. I balled my hands up into fists wanting nothing more than to pop him in the face for taking advantage of me like that. I took a deep breath to push these thoughts aside; I didn't want to get in any more "trouble" when freedom was going to be granted to me tonight. I sure as hell wasn't going to risk not getting away. Instead, I simply continued to glare up at him as he stared down at me with an amused expression as if begging me to retaliate. Our little staring contest was interrupted by Cole jogging around the corner with a bottle of gasoline in one hand and a gun in the other.

"We knocked 'em all out, boss. Didn't even need to kill 'em," he said happily.

"Ah, nice job my little clowns," the Joker said with the clap of his hands. "Time to have some fun," he said in a high pitched voice that still managed to sound just as menacing as his angry voice.

* * *

Less than fifteen minutes later I'd been forced to ride in a firetruck to the intersection that led to both 5th and 6th street. From there, Joker, Angela and Cole proceeded to poor gasoline all over the truck while Bob held me in his tight grip off to the side to ensure I wouldn't escape. Once they finished, Joker took me out of Bob's grasp and led me a few feet away from the truck.

"Are you ready for some irony?" he whispered in my ear. As I looked around I noticed the others were lighting matches, preparing to throw them on the truck.

"What's the point in this? To prove something?" I asked in disgust as I looked over my shoulder at him, already seeing an excitement in his eyes.

"It's all part of the plan, beautiful," he stated, not even bothering to look at me.

When I turned around the truck was already in flames, a light crackling noise reaching my ears as the fire ate away at it. I felt the Joker's arms wrap around my waist and his chin rest on my shoulder.

"Isn't it magical? The whole concept of good diminishing…because you know, Jess, nothing can stay pure forever. We all fall into darkness eventually," he said with the lick of his lips. He placed a soft kiss on the side of my neck that caused those familiar butterflies to flutter in the pit of my stomach. I cringed as I thought of the person that made me feel that way and quickly caused the feeling to go away when I remembered all of the horrible things he'd done.

I jumped when I heard a loud honking come from behind us. I turned around and saw a white tractor trailer with the words "slaughter is the best medicine" on it. There was an elderly man with a brimmed hat on at the wheel.

"Joy, our ride's here," the Joker said happily. I felt someone else come up beside me as he stalked over to the truck, climbing up into the passenger's side.

"We have to get in the back," I heard Angela state and I began to walk in step with her to the side of the truck. Bob and Cole followed suit, the latter of the two grabbing a handle and sliding a door open to reveal the inside of the hauler. I glanced over at the passenger side mirror and saw the Joker staring at me intently. With the roll of my eyes, I climbed into the dirty hauler, taking in my surroudings. There were a number of large bags that I assumed were storing guns. Other than those and us, it was empty. I sat down beside Angela to face the now closed door. To my left was the back of the driver's seat where the unnamed driver and Joker were seated. I could hear the Joker instructing the man where to go as I rested my head against the side of the wall.

After a few minutes of silence I looked over at Angela to see her fiddling with her fingers, avoiding my gaze. "Are you okay?" I asked tentatively.

She looked up at me with an amused expression. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? I mean, you're the one whose been kidnapped by the most dangerous criminal in Gotham, if not the whole world," she said with the shake of her head before she sighed sadly. "But yeah, I guess I'm okay…it just gets hard sometimes," she said quietly so only I could hear her. Cole and Bob were only a few feet away from us loading the guns that had been stored in the bags.

"Crime?" I asked, not sure if that's what she meant.

She shook her head. "No, seeing him treat you like that. Like you're the center of his world," she said, now looking down.

My eyes were staring at her in disbelief. "He does not. If anything, he treats me like I'm scum."

She looked over and stared at me like I was a complete idiot. "You can't tell me you don't see it. You're just…different. I mean, if only you knew everything that's happened…" she said and glanced at the Joker nervously as if she was telling me some forbidden secret. I looked over at him, too, only to see he was still concentrated on the road. I looked back at her, now intrigued. Maybe I was finally going to get those answers I'd given up on a long time ago.

"You know something don't you, Angela? Please, you have to tell me why he took me," I said pleadingly.

She stared at me with a torn look in her eyes. "I promised I wouldn't. I wasn't even supposed to find out. I just stumbled upon it…"

"Stumbled upon what?"

"He'd kill me if he found out I told you," she said more to herself than me.

"Please, Angela. I need to know."

After a few moments of silence she let out a shaky breath, glanced over at the Joker once more and then faced me. "Well, about four months before he captured you, he would disappear for hours, sometimes days on end. He refused to tell us what was going on. Only Bob went with him once, and he swore him to secrecy. Anyway, one day I heard him on the phone in his room, and I just wanted to be apart of what was going on. I wanted a chance to prove how loyal I was. So I listened in the crack of the door. I could tell he was talking to a man and he was giving him directions. He said something about 'you have a month left to hand her over' and 'this can be done the easy way or the hard way.' The guy was obviously arguing with him cuz J was gettin' pretty angry. After that conversation he was acting really angry for about a week before he disappeared again. When he came back he seemed ecstatic about something. He kept murmuring something about 'she's mine.' Then about a week later he started making us go up to Wayne Manor to look out. He told us to report back to him about all comings and goings. We would stay parked in the woods by the road leading up to the manor all day, then go back to the hideout at nights. When you finally showed up and we told him, he acted a little too nonchalant about it, so at first I doubted you were what he was waiting for. But then the way he acted with you…the little things I'd hear him say, which I'm sure you've noticed, were rather odd," she said, looking even more distraught than she did when she started.

What I was feeling couldn't be described; anger, confusion, shock. The last one was caused by a sudden revelation. What I thought to be insignificant occurrences…my Dad talking on the phone at weird times; times I knew work wouldn't call. The bags that had begun to form under his eyes weeks before he and my Mom were killed. The weary looks they both began to give me whenever I'd leave the house. The Joker at the nightclub somehow knowing how they'd died…

It all made since now. But for how long had he been watching me before I got to Gotham? What all did he know about me? I suddenly felt dirty, violated in a way. If what I suspected was true, I was the cause of my parent's deaths. Tears began forming in my eyes as this sunk in. My hands began to shake in anger as I thought of that monster tormenting my Dad for information on me and threatening him. My mom had to have known about it, too. They never kept anything from each other. I couldn't suppress the sob that escaped my throat as everything came full circle. Angela quickly shushed me, and I really didn't blame her. If the Joker found out she'd told me he probably would kill her. I placed my hand over my mouth to ensure that no sound would be heard. I glanced over at Bob who was staring at me with a knowing expression before he looked back down at the gun he was loading. I wiped away any hint of tears as the truck came to a stop, hoping we wouldn't have to get out just yet. I had a feeling my legs wouldn't be able to hold me up.

Cole stood up and walked over to the front of the truck, hunching his back slightly to avoid hitting his head. He handed the Joker the large gun that was in his hands before coming back over to sit beside Bob, glancing at me curiously as he did so. I jumped as the loud horn was honked three times. Seconds later I heard a man approach. His voice was cut off by the shot of the gun. I closed my eyes as I tried not to think about his motionless body lying on the sidewalk; it would just fuel my anger.

"To lower 5th we go," the Joker said in a sing song voice that only succeeded in irritating me furthur.

The ride felt a bit more rushed than it had before, or maybe it was just because I was actually paying attention now. All of a sudden I flew two inches in the air as the front of the truck collided with a vehicle. I pushed back the vivid image from my nightmare about my parent's accident as I looked out the window to see we were driving right behind a number of SWAT cars. The Joker quickly climbed over the seat to where we were and opened the door on the side. I noticed that Bob and Cole had slipped on clown masks to hide their identities. Cole handed the Joker a gun which he then aimed at one of the SWAT cars. It was then that it dawned on me.

_Harvey_. He was going to try and kill Harvey.

After the round of bullets were shot in that gun, Bob handed him another fully loaded one. Once they realized the gun's limited power wasn't going to work against the steel car, they pulled out one of the biggest guns I'd ever seen.

"Cover your ears, beautiful," I heard the Joker shout with a laugh. I immediately did as I was told, not wanting my eardrums to burst. I gasped as the front end of the SWAT car burst into flames. My head bashed into the side of the wall as the bazooka was shot a second time, causing our driver to swerve the truck quickly out of the way of a flipping police car. I heard yet another collison occur from somewhere behind us. My heart was pounding as the truck gained even more speed. The Joker stumbled slightly as we hit a bump in the road, causing Angela to squeel in fright from beside me. I gave her an exasperated look; _that_ was the thing that caused her to get scared. I had to hold back a scream as the bazooka was shot yet again, this time hitting a black car that had…flown over another to block the SWAT car? There was only one person who would and could do that: Batman.

The SWAT car we'd been trailing beside came to a halt, as did our truck.

The Joker turned to face me with what appeared to be a nervous look in his eyes. This disappeared just as quickly as it came, so I couldn't be sure if it had ever actually been there. He crossed the few short steps it took to get to me before grasping my arm in a tight grip and pulling me up out of my seated position. I desperately wanted to yank myself away from him, now knowing the circumstances surrounding my kidnapping, but thought better of it. Giving in now would just be a victory for him and there was no way I was going to let him have that. He dragged me to the front of the hauler where he climbed over the seat and pushed the now limp body of the other man out.

"Come on, beautiful. I want you to have a front row seat-_ah_."

I reluctantly climbed into the seat trying my best not to touch him.

"Buckle up for safety," he said as if he was speaking to a small child. I quickly grasped the strap and buckled myself in as he stomped on the accelerator, causing us to speed off down the road, gaining more speed every second. I was thrown inches out of my seat yet again as we swerved over into the next lane and began to trail behind the SWAT car I assumed was holding Harvey.

"I like this job, I like it," the Joker said huskily. "Oh where would this town be without me, Jessica?" he asked, looking around the street to his left.

"I don't know…" I stated absentmindedly as I held onto the door for dear life when we made a right turn, still following Harvey.

Looking up, I saw a helicopter in the near distance that was headed in our direction. "Ok, rack 'em uuuup, rack 'em up, rack 'em up, rack 'em up," the Joker said into a walkie talkie.

I diverted my eyes from the helicopter to the Joker in disbelief. "You're not going to do what I think you are, right?" I asked frightfully.

"Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours. The show's just getting good," he said with the nod of his head.

My mouth flew open in shock as the helicopter twirled out of the sky and right into the path of the SWAT car. The Joker let out a hysterical wave of laughter that infected my soul with its evil sound. He continued to let out little fits of giggles as we made our way down the road. I anxiously looked in the side mirror to view only a fraction of the destruction we'd caused.

"Now there's a Batman," I heard him say. I whipped my head over to face the road. Less than half a mile ahead of us was, indeed, the Batman- coming right at us.

"Woah, you wanna play? Come on," the monster said from beside me.

"What? Do you want us to be killed?!" I asked frantically.

"Well that would just be a new beginning for us," he said with an evil smile.

It felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest as we got closer and closer to the collision. I closed my eyes, ready to say goodbye to this life. Maybe I'd have better luck in the next one.

"He missed!" the Joker yelped cheerfully, ceasing my desperate prayers.

I opened my eyes, though I soon wished I hadn't. A scream emitted from me as the truck came into contact with something I couldn't see and began to flip over. My heart jumped up into my throat; the same feeling you get when you hit that first drop on a roller coaster, only you know you won't survive this one. Everything seemed to move painfully slow. By the time I felt the hauler collide with the ground my heart was beating so quickly it felt like it wasn't beating at all. My head crashed into the roof, though my body remained suspended due to the seat belt strapped around me. The blackness was beginning to taking over. I heard a groan come from beside me and some rustling. As I fell deeper into the darkness I vaguely heard someone say my name and undo the restraint holding me. I didn't bother trying to open my eyes or make any movements.

I let go and succumbed to the cold blackness.

**Thank you so much for reading! Please remember to review and tell me what you think. The next chapter will be out soon :]**


	22. Showdown for the Ages

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Author's Note: I want to thank everyone for being so patient while waiting for this chapter to come out. I never imagined I'd ever take this long, but school this semester just got the better of me. A special thank you goes out to all my long time readers as well as my new ones, which I'll list at the end of this chapter since they've multiplied over the last few months. I really appreciate all of you checking out my story! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or scenes in this story that come directly from the films "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight" nor am I making any sort of profit off of this. I DO own the plot and all original characters. Now on with the story! **

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"Jessica…_Jessica!_"

The fuzzy voice that seemed to have been pestering me for hours, though it couldn't have been more than mere minutes, was slowly becoming more audible. The familiarity of the voice left me wanting to place it – a want that was leading me out of this painful darkness I seemed to be trapped in.

As the voice grew steadily stronger, so did I. My eyes slowly opened of their own accord, the sheer brightness of the world around me causing my head to pound. I tried to sit up, but felt myself being pushed down by some invisible force. I turned my head in the direction of the person whose hand was still tightly gripping my shoulder. My heart began to pick up speed as my eyes locked with the Joker's dark orbs. His make-up was smeared and, due to the closeness of our faces, I could just make out a few beads of sweat on the top of his forehead. Everything began flooding back into my memory: the truck speeding down the highway, the Joker's piercing laugh…and the Batman.

As if on cue, the roar of the Batman's powerful engine came echoing down the street, causing the earth below me to vibrate with rage.

"Here comes the fun part," the Joker stated gruffly. "Just sit right here and wait for me, doll. Everything will be okay." His hand roughly grabbed my face, forcing me to look away from the black pod Batman was riding on. I looked up at him, still feeling somewhat out of it. To be honest, I had yet to realize the severity of the situation. I was about to witness a show down between the Joker and Batman – and I was absolutely terrified. The Joker gazed down into my face for about three seconds before quickly jumping to his feet. It was then that I noticed the large gun he was wielding in his right hand. I sat up and jumped when he spun around and began firing his weapon at a car, which immediately swerved to the left in a desperate attempt to get out of the way of the his wrath. He continued firing at innocent bystanders as Batman got ever closer to his destination.

My heart began to pound in my chest as the masked hero zoomed ever closer to the shot still Joker. I cautiously rose to my feet, hoping that my shaky legs would be able to support my weight. I could feel a stream of blood running down my forehead and raised an unsteady hand to wipe it off. Everything around me seemed surreal as my brain readjusted to consciousness. My eyes refocused on the scene before me and I yelped as the Batman's vehicle collided with the upside down truck located mere feet away from me, the Batman being thrown to the ground before it. A man in a clown mask, whom I automatically registered to be Cole, stepped out from behind the other side of the truck and tentatively reached down to touch the Batman's now still form. I jumped back in fright as an unexpected spark of electricity threw him backwards. It shouldn't have surprised me that the Joker would take obvious joy in his henchmen's pain, though I don't think one ever gets used to the thought process of a maniac. I watched on in disgust as the Joker jumped around like a buffoon over Cole's shocked body, spitting on him once before moving over to his real victim.

The sound of footsteps pulled my attention away from my captive's actions. My eyes locked with a pair I thought I'd never see again. A man I'd written off as dead. A man I'd watched die. Gordon raised one finger to his lips to signal me to be quiet. I simply nodded once as my wide eyes watched him raise a gun to the back of the Joker's head, and a very small number of other cops began to appear behind him, each stalking as quietly as they could.

The Joker let out an annoyed growl as he realized what was going on. Speaking as if he'd been through this a million times before, he asked impatiently, "Could you please just give me a minute?"

In response, Gordon pushed him onto the ground and pointed his gun down at him. "We got you you son of a bitch," he said, sounding slightly out of breath. The Joker let the knife go from his hand as he looked up into the barrel of the gun.

The sound of sirens getting steadily closer was coming from every direction. There was a strong smell of fuel that must have been running out of the upturned truck. I hadn't even noticed I'd fallen to my knees somewhere in between all of the action. My head was pounding, but it didn't matter. None of it mattered. I was free- I was _finally_ free.

Flashing red and blue lights quickly enveloped the scene as I continued to look down at the black asphalt beneath me. I don't know how long I was sitting there before two strong hands lifted me to my feet and began guiding me towards the back of an ambulance. With the two doors wide open, I sat on the back, allowing my feet dangle carelessly off of the side.

"You can just relax while I fix up this cut on your forehead, sweetie," said a female voice. I looked up to meet a pair of warm blue eyes and simply nodded, not sure if my dry throat would allow me to speak.

I took a deep breath and took in the entire scene for the first time. There were about twenty cop cars scattered up and down the now demolished street. Four other ambulances, each containing a person being bandaged up, were located on my right; to my left stood the cops arresting my now former captives. Bob was currently sitting in the back of a cop car looking straightforward as if in deep thought. Cole was lying down on a stretcher, completely passed out; the shock must have affected him more than I thought it would have. Angela was nowhere in visible sight. And last, but certainly not least, my eyes made their way over to the Joker who was also in the back of a separate cop car. My heart skipped a beat when I noticed he was staring right at me, a happy gleam in his eye. How could anyone look cheerful when they were getting ready to be carted off to jail, and possibly life in prison if he wasn't given the death penalty.

"Jessica?" a familiar voice questioned from somewhere to my left. I turned my head to once again see myself face to face with a true hero.

"Gordon?" I asked softly, still not sure if my mind was just playing tricks on me. After spending so much time with the Joker, it was hard to tell how screwed up in the head I was going to be.

He smiled widely and quickly pulled me into a hug, causing the nurse who was working on my cut to grunt and walk off, stating that she was finished. "You've certainly been a trooper haven't you?" he said pulling away from me and holding my shoulders at arm's length. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. We should have gotten you sooner, but we were supposed to be bidding our time," he said, sounding ashamed.

"Don't worry about me, lets talk about you," I said studying his exterior. "I saw…I watched you die." Disbelief was still clear in my voice, as well as my face.

"It's a long story. I just had to ensure my family's protection – I knew that this would be the only way I would be able to stay on this case and keep them safe. I faked my death," he said, sounding distressed by the whole situation.

I nodded, relating to him on the family perspective. I would have done anything to ensure my family's safety. I pushed this morbid thought to the back of my mind as quickly as it came. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the things I couldn't change. I finally had my whole life ahead of me. The Joker, of course, had reminded me that he would be back, but hopefully he would be locked up in a maximum security prison now that the police had finally managed to capture him.

"Miss Wayne?" I looked up to see a male cop in about his mid-thirties standing in front of me with a pad and pen in his hands. "I'm going to need to ask you a few questions," he said, sympathy clearly showing in his eyes.

I sighed, realizing that now it would be inevitable for people to treat me differently. I would forever be known as that girl who got kidnapped by the Joker, not only once, but twice. I would never be able to have any alone time or even walk down the street by myself.

"Can't this wait 'til later? I think she's been through enough for one night," Gordon said defensively. Though I'd never been the type to need someone to stand up for me, it was nice to have someone on my side.

The cop looked from Gordon to me before nodding. "Sure, we'll handle this later," he said, staring at me for a second before walking off.

I looked up at Gordon and gave him a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks for that."

"No problem. You don't need to be hounded tonight; they'll be plenty of time for that later. Why don't you get some rest?"

I looked back into the inside of the ambulance to see a stretcher with a pillow and blanket placed upon it. Sleep certainly didn't sound like a bad idea at this point, and the more I thought about it, the heavier my eyes became.

I turned back to the hectic scene before me; someone was missing. "What happened to Batman?" I asked, remembering his still form lying in the street.

Gordon looked over to where I was looking, putting his hands in his pockets. "Oh, he snuck off before too many cops got here. I think he likes to keep a low profile," he said, sounding a little weary talking about Batman.

I nodded, realizing that he must not want to talk about the masked vigilante for whatever reason. "Oh, can you have someone call Bruce? I guess he'd want to know that…well, that I'm okay," I said, suddenly remembering my poor godfather. I didn't even want to imagine all of the things he must have been going through during this whole ordeal.

"I'll get right on it," Gordon said pulling out his cell phone. "You just get some rest for now, alright? Everything will be fine when you wake up," he said reassuringly.

"Thank you," I said, his words having that certain calming effect I hadn't experienced since who knows when. With that, I climbed up into the back of the ambulance. Gordon shut the doors behind me, leaving a small crack between the frames which allowed some of the noise to trail in – it was strangely comforting to hear.

I got up onto the stretcher and adjusted the pillow before covering myself up, and lying down. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I knew it would only be a matter of seconds before I was out. For the first time in a long time I felt a sense of security, a feeling of safety. I thought back on Gordon's final words to me and, for once, I actually believed them. Everything was going to be okay. _I_ was going to be okay.

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**Thank you so much for reading! And don't worry, the story is far from over. I'm working on the next chapter right now, so it might actually be out tonight! Here's the list of all of the people who either favorited or subscribed to story alerts. Thank you all for your support, and please remember to review :)**

**Mikomi Satsujin, laymetosleep33, rikkukirst, litte blue ace, blueprincess301, ChildOfFate17, TheJoker'sGotMyHeart, Lollie the Bemused, luckyrebel13, Chaoticlown, BlackWolf18, Annika Kisha, madmonkeyqueen, Geriana, dark's silver shadow, hollistergirl0333, LoopyLuna89, Erik'sTrueMuse, PinkFlowersAndRedBarons, Arathelia, KayRose, SileaLove, AnimeOtakuBara, Nostalgic Memory, blacksilkrose123, madluv, XAngel-from-the-SnowX, ABeautifulDeath, Mrs. Joe Jonas DJ DANGA, FreshToDeath, X-BaByBuBbLe-X, debbiekolling, vampireinlove22, miss-night-owl, MissRandom21, caitlinofthedead, Smudge and Freedom forever, bexr91, TheJokerLover, Koneko Ai, Isah Cullen, xxExplodingxHairballxx, xekeia, Darkness Takes Over, ToriMiu, WickedMagic, LeahChristine09, Snikidee, linalove, JrAoCbKiN, animedancin13, Syrenia, DarKnight1Fan, o0oChaoticBeautyo0o, FloridaGurl, AvalonVampiress, ToriMiu, Gaia'schild, Outlaw-Lanaya, JokieBby, Deus-Ex-Machina-0, eliza86, WolfxAngel, heartsfullofglass, Levi-Rain, CuriousOysters, myxdearestxapollo, Frosted-Popsicle, geogirlofmars, and ninjaonfire. **


	23. DISREGARD THIS

**Author's Note: **Please exclude this. I deleted it once before, but it messed up my chapter settings and the ones that people could review.


	24. The Interrogation and Hospital Rooms

**Two chapters in two days – how's that for progress? haha. Just a little note, I wasn't planning on adding the interrogation scene to this chapter, but then Isabella Joker reviewed and said it was one of her favorite scenes in the movie, so I found a way to incorporate into the beginning :) Gordon's interrogation appears just as it did in the movie, but Batman's is different for obvious reasons. I want to give out a big thank you to all the people who read and review. Here's a list of all of the new people who reviewed/subscribed to alerts/favorited: mrs. Sora-sparrow, I'm stupid getover it, Precious Raymond, Rewrite-An-Ending-That-Fits, lily1234, and Twiliknight. I really appreciate everyone's input, so please be sure to review and tell me what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight", nor am I making any sort of profit off of this story. I DO own all original characters and the plot. Now on with the story!**

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**Bruce/Batman's POV (In Third Person Omniscient) **

"Where is he?" the Batman asked Detective Joe Bartley who was desperately trying to keep up with the masked vigilante's long steps. He'd been ordered by Commissioner Gordon to bring him into the interrogation room before everything got started, and he had to admit, he was rather intimidated and weary of the whole situation.

"He's still locked up in the cell. We're going to bring him in a few minutes after you. Gordon will come and try to get some information out of him, but if he doesn't succeed, we'll cue you in," he stated hurriedly.

Batman had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity to finally get his hands on this sick monster. To be more specific, Bruce Wayne had been waiting. The two men entered the viewing room before heading into the actual interrogation "chamber" as the officers liked to call it.

"Just stand in the shadows-"

"I know what to do," the Batman interrupted before blending into the dark setting behind him.

Shaking off the chill that ran down his spine at the sound of the hero's gruff voice, the young detective exited the room and went to assist the men bringing in the Joker.

Meanwhile, thousands of thoughts were flying around the Batman's head. The main reason he was brought here was to question the Joker about Harvey Dent's disappearance; however, he obviously had his own personal agenda to attend to. Jessica was the main thing on his mind at this point in time. He needed to know all of the facts. After discovering the personal records weeks prior, he'd been craving the chance to get his hands on the Joker and beat him to a bloody pulp. Before he could do that, however, he needed to know why.

Why had he worked so hard acquire all of the information about her? Why was he so persistent in keeping her in his grasp? But most importantly, _why her_?

At that moment, the Joker was led in by three heavily armed police officers. It was impossible to see the man who had trained himself to blend into the shadows, and so the Joker was seated without any idea of what lay ahead of him.

Less than two minutes later, a determined looking Gordon calmly entered the room, shutting the squeeky door behind him.

"Evening Co-mmi-ssioner," the Joker greeted, dragging out the last word. The sheer sound of his voice made Batman clench his fists in anger, but he held himself back, allowing Gordon to do his job first.

The older man sat down across from the most dangerous criminal in Gotham and, with a deep sigh, began his interrogation. "Harvey Dent never made it home."

"Of course not," the Joker stated simply.

"What have you done with him?"

"Me?" the Joker asked in an offended tone. "I was right here," he stated, raising his hand-cuffed wrists. "Who did you leave him with, hmm? Your people?...Assuming of course that they are still your people, and not Maroni's," he stated provokingly.

His words proved to have some sort of an affect on the poor man. The Batman noticed his facial expression falter slightly as the Joker's words hit him full force.

Seeing that he was having his desired effect on the newly appointed Commissioner, the Joker continued. "Does it depress you, Commissioner? To know just how alone you really are? Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current _pre_-dicament?"

"Where is he?" Gordon asked quickly, already growing tired of the Joker's games.

"What's the time?" the Joker asked, his tone more joyous than it had been moments before.

"What difference does that make?"

"Well, depending on the time, he may be in one spot or several," he stated matter-of-factly.

Looking more worn out than ever, Gordon reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small set of keys. Fiddling with them for a second as if in thought, he grabbed the Joker's hands and took off his handcuffs. "If we're going to play games, I'm going to need a cup of coffee," he said, rising out of his seat.

Visibly amused, the Joker stated, "Good cop, bad cop routine?"

Turning around just as he reached the door, he glanced above the Joker's head, peering into the darkness and gave a short, almost unnoticable nod. "Not exactly." With that, he left the room.

Just before the lights came on, only one word was reverberating through the Batman's mind: revenge.

Without a moment of hesitation, Batman mercilessly slammed his victim's head into the table before stepping around it to reveal himself. "Ah, never start with the head, the victim gets all fuzzy. He can't feel the neck-"

Tired of listening to his complaining, the Batman punched the lone hand lying on the table with all his might.

After closing his eyes to embrace the pain, the Joker simply stated, "See?"

"You wanted me, here I am."

"I wanted to see what you'd do. Ever since the little incident at Harvey Dent's fundraiser, I've just been itchin' to talk to you," he stated, gazing curiously at the Batman's face, humor visible in his dark orbs.

"Where's Harvey?" the Batman asked, slightly taken aback by the Joker's abrupt change in subject. He thought he was going to be the one to bring up Jessica.

"Oh, we both know that's not what you're here to discuss with me," the Joker said while leaning forward, arms resting against the table, the only thing separating the two. "I may be off my rocker, but I'm not stupid," he said with a smile.

"Okay then, lets cut straight to the point. Why did you take Jessica Wayne?" Simply mentioning the kidnapping caused him to shake with rage.

The Joker leaned back in his chair carelessly. "Because it was fun. I needed to spice up my life a little bit, and she seemed like the perfect ticket to do it," he said. On the other half of the double sided window, each and every detective was listening intently to the discussion about one of the most talked about crimes in Gotham history.

"That was it. Just a little fun?" the Batman asked skeptically.

"That was it," the Joker stated with the clap of his hands.

"So you're telling me she means nothing to you? The Reston City Hall documents that were found in your old hideout just happened to appear there, then? Documents that had been acquired months before the kidnapping?" he questioned rhetorically.

The look on the Joker's face abruptly went from carelessness to anger, and what could have very well been for the first time in his life, he was speechless. Seeing this window of opportunity, the Batman continued, deciding to dish out some of this clown's own medicine. He leaned forward slightly before continuing. "You decided to target a seventeen-year-old girl. You decided to threaten her parents and stalk her, and for what? To make a bit of cash? You knew her last name well, but you were too afraid to go after Bruce Wayne directly. You're just garbage who kills for money-"

"Don't talk like one of them, you're _NOT!_" the Joker yelled angrily, finally having been pushed over the edge. His eyes were wilder than they'd ever been before as he stared at the man he most despised above any other human being on the planet. "You should know what it's like after all," he stated, finally beginning to calm down. "The way you threw yourself after her. And you know, for a second there, I thought you actually were Dent."

The Batman's now tense form didn't go unnoticed by the Joker, and he smirked realizing that the tables had once again been turned. "Because of that, tonight you're going to have to break your one rule. _If_ you want to save one of them."

Quickly placing two and two together, the Batman reached across the table and, grasping the Joker by the collar, lifted the slightly smaller man up and threw him against the wall. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"You mean we're done talking about my dear little Jessie already? I do so much love the topic," he stated.

The sound of her name emitting from his lips made the Batman lose complete control of his senses as he forcefully threw the Joker onto the table, causing him to laugh out in pain. Realizing that his rash actions would cause Gordon and the others to intervene, he quickly grabbed a chair and placed it under the door handle before returning back to the Joker who was now seated upright on the table.

"Does Harvey know about you and his little bunny?" the Joker asked in humour.

Grasping him by his greasy hair, the Batman yanked him off the table and slammed his head into the window, causing glass to fly everywhere. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Killing me isn't a choose. Imagine how devastated my Jessie would be to know I was killed by your hands," the Joker stated, now seated on the floor.

Batman striked him yet again with his fist. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Now it's between one life or the other. The District Attorney or his blushing bride to be," he stated, giggling as he did so.

The Batman gave him one last hard punch to the jaw, causing the Joker to flip over onto his stomach and break into a crazy fit of laughter. "You have nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength."

Batman once more lifted him up by his collar and held him a few feet above the ground. "I think I do..." the Batman stated darkly, causing the Joker's smile to falter slightly, though only for a moment.

"Don't worry, I'm going to tell you where they are, both of them. And that's the point - you'll have to choose. He's at 250 52nd Street, and she's on...Heaven West, at Cicero."

With the information finally in his possession, he threw the Joker down onto the ground and, without a second glance behind him, stormed out of the room.

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**Jessica's POV**

"…How did he escape?"

"I don't know. But he planned to be locked in there. He knew he'd get help from some of his cronies. It was a big mistake for them to lock him up in the MCU."

"Did you get anything out of him during the interrogation?"

"Not much; he basically confirmed our worst fears, though I'm still not sure if we should believe him or not. All he does is talk in circles. The only solid thing I was able to get out of him were the locations, but even that was a lie…"

The conversation ceased, but I was already awake. There was a consistent beeping noise coming somewhere from my left. I slowly opened my eyes and, taking in a deep breath, took in the sunlight – I'd forgotten how lovely mornings could be. The feeling of someone gripping my hand caused me to look over to my right where I met those familiar amber eyes. I couldn't suppress the smile that came to my lips.

"How are you feeling?" was the first of many questions I was sure Bruce and others were going to be asking me that day.

"I feel good actually," I replied truthfully. Based on the white walls and machine to my left, I was able to deduct that I was in the hospital. I looked over my body and saw that I had a wrap around my left wrist, a bandage on my right forearm, and I could feel bandages on both my forehead and injured thigh. I felt embarrassed to know that Bruce had seen this horrid "branding," but the feeling of relief was more prominent. Relief that I was finally away from the Joker's grasp. Relief that I was finally back in Bruce's care. When I first showed up in Gotham, I never thought I'd be thankful to have Bruce as my godfather; in fact, I thought it was the biggest mistake of all time. Now, however, I was actually glad to know he was the one I would be staying with. Despite the fact that I had been kidnapped while in his care, I felt safe while in his presence.

"That's great," he said with a smile. I could tell he was feeling rather awkward. What's the right thing to say to someone who's just been kidnapped by one of the more horrendous criminals in history? I decided to take it upon myself to start up a conversation for I desperately wanted to talk to someone about anything.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, sitting up in the bed. It was then that I noticed Alfred sitting in a chair at the foot of my bed.

"You slept through the night. About ten hours altogether," Alfred replied in that British accent I used to find so amusing.

I nodded, remembering what little of the conversation I'd heard the two men in front of me having just moments before. "What all happened last night?" I asked wearily, not sure if I really wanted to know. It hadn't sounded too good, and the sheer atmosphere in the room told me something beyond my situation alone was wrong.

Bruce and Alfred shared a glance before looking back at me. Bruce cleared his throat and squeezed my hand slightly before beginning. "The Joker escaped last night," he said. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, though, for whatever reason, I didn't feel completely surprised. His promise yet again echoed in my mind, his cold voice beginning to take over my thoughts.

"He had some people take Harvey and Rachel, and…he made us choose who we would save. It was one of his sick, twisted games," he said, looking down at the comforter. I could tell the words alone were a struggle for him to get out, which led me to believe the worst had occurred.

"Are they…" I began, trailing off, unable to form the words.

"No, well...," he looked up at me, pain visible in his eyes. "Rachel's dead, Jess."

My breathing sped up as that all too familiar pain crashed into my chest at full speed.

He'd planned this; the Joker had planned this. There had to have been something I could have done…No, I couldn't think that way. This wasn't my fault. The Joker was a psychopath who got enjoyment out of hurting others, especially me, and this was the ultimate blow. Not only was Rachel someone I cared about, she was someone Bruce had known and loved all his life. Once again my presence here was negatively affecting those dearest to me and the entire city of Gotham, which made me feel absolutely helpless.

"I'm so sorry Bruce, this is all my fault-"

"Don't you even think that," Bruce interjected sternly before I could finish my apology. "What happened last night was the act of a criminal. A criminal that I'm going to make sure goes down."

I nodded in defeat, not wanting to push Bruce when it was obvious he was in a very fragile state. Suddenly, a knock came at the door. The three of us turned our heads to see the same male cop from last night.

"Hello Mr. Wayne. I'm sorry to intrude, but I'm going to need to ask Miss Wayne some questions now," he said as he stepped into the room.

Bruce rubbed his hand over his face in agitation, while the other continued to grip my own. "She just woke up, can't this wait?"

"I'm sorry, it can't. It's procedure," he said, sounding genuinely sorry.

Bruce looked over at me. "I'll be fine. Why don't you two go get some food or something," I said with a small smile. I wasn't exactly keen on having to recall specific details about my time in captivity, but I knew it could help them capture _him_ quicker.

"Hospital food? I think I'll pass," he said with his trademark smirk.

As he rose from his chair, I suddenly remembered that he'd forgotten to mention the other half of last night's events. "Harvey's okay, right?"

Once again, Bruce and Alfred shared a glance before addressing me. "No, he's not. He suffered from some horrific burns."

A look of both concern and fear came across my face. "Where?"

Bruce paused a moment before responding. "His face. He's in the room right next to yours. You're both being guarded by police. "

I gasped as I pictured Harvey Dent's handsome face mutilated by burns. Bruce wiped a strand of hair away from my face before leaning down to embrace me in a hug. This show of affection took me back quite a bit – Bruce had never really been the type to show his love. Nevertheless, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, grateful to know that I had someone to lean on at this devastating and confusing time. I felt him place a quick kiss on the top of my head before rising.

"I'll just be right down the hall until questioning's done," he assured me.

"Thank you, Bruce," I said before both he and Alfred exited the room.

The cop closed the door and turned to me, his notepad and pen in hand. "My name is Detective Trey Hartley. I work in the Major Crimes Unit of the Gotham Police Department," he introduced himself as he sat down where Bruce had previously been seated.

"Nice to meet you," I said, taking the assurance that he already had a pretty good idea as to who I was.

"I'm going to be questioning you about your kidnapping. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, just tell me. But it's very important that you try and recall names, locations, anything that would be helpful in permanently bringing the Joker down."

I nodded, fully ready to cooperate. If there was one thing that would bring me joy in this world, it would be to make sure the Joker was locked up in a place so far away he would never see the light of day again. "I'll do my best."

"That's all we ask," he said before flipping open his notepad and taking the cap off of his pen. "Now, do you remember any names ever being mentioned by the Joker? Anyone he was in alliance with?"

I racked my brain, trying to compile everything the Joker had ever said to me, or anything I'd overheard him saying. "Well, he took me to a nightclub called...it began with a 'T'…"

"Tonic?"

"Yes, that's it," I said, feeling a bit stupid, because I'd forgotten the name. "He met up with a man named Maroni. He talked to him somewhere upstairs for a good fifteen minutes," I said, hoping that this information would be helpful in some way.

"Salvatore Maroni? In league with the Joker," he said as he began scribbling the information down on his paper. "Anyone else?"

As if it was a movie in my mind, the events from that night began playing out scene by scene. "Well, there was this weird guy the Joker called Penguin. But he wasn't in any sort of…alliance with him," I said for the lack of a better word. "He mentioned something about working for a guy named Scarecrow."

Detective Hartley began jotting everything down rather quickly. "Did he say why he was confronting the Joker?"

I closed my eyes, trying to relive the scene. It didn't take long before I remembered exactly what he'd said, and I shivered at the words. "They must have had some sort of unfinished business. He said he thought he'd be able to get to the Joker…through me," I said reluctantly. Detective Hartley's head slowly rose to look at me, making me feel truly uncomfortable for the first time since I'd woken up. The look in his eyes, which had now gone wide, told me that what I'd just said meant more to him than what it meant to me. He looked as if his brain had just connected the pieces and he was now looking at the full puzzle. Swallowing rather loudly, he jotted down something else on his paper before starting back up with the questioning.

"What about locations?"

I decided that starting with the first place they'd taken me would be the best way to jog my memory. "We first stayed at an old warehouse. It was the same one where the Joker let off those explosives," I said, my voice cracking at the memory and the events that had taken that day. All of the lives that had been lost.

"Anywhere else?"

I sighed, now wishing that I could question him about his reaction towards my previous statement. "Umm, we also stayed at Angela's parent's house."

"Angela? You mean Angela Barton, one of the Joker's henchmen?" he asked.

"Yes, that's her," I said, feeling somewhat strange to now know her last name. Before she was just Angela; more of a character, an entity even. Now, she was Angela Barton; an actual person, an actual human being.

"Do you remember the address, any landmarks around the area?"

I turned my thoughts back to that night, and immediately remembered having my weak body dragged up the driveway by my hair. "I think it was on the outskirts of town. There was an open field across the street from the house; it was a white two story residence with a burgundy colored door," I said, trying to remember as many details as possible. "That was the last place we stayed."

"Yeah, that's a few miles up from the turnpike," he stated more to himself as he wrote this information down.

"Also, did the Joker ever force you to do anything you didn't want to do?" he asked carefully.

I stared at him in confusion, not quite sure what he was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"I mean sexual acts. If he did, it's important that you tell me. If…when we catch him, we can nail him for rape or molestation since you're a minor. If you'd rather me bring a nurse in, or one of our female officers from the department, I could do that as well. I know how uncomfortable this is."

I quickly shook my head, not even wanting to think about something like that occurring. "No, absolutely not. I mean, there were times when…no, he never did anything like that," I replied firmly. I didn't feel like going into all of the times he'd kissed me or looked at me lustfully. The heart monitor on my left began beeping more rapidly, and I cursed the patches on my chest that were connecting me to the awful machine.

The officer looked at me sternly for a moment before scribbling something down. "That will be all for now. Another officer or I may be back later to question you further. Thank you for all of your cooperation. You're a very brave girl," he said as he rose from his chair.

"I've been hearing that a lot lately," I said, though I didn't feel I was brave in any way, shape, or form.

He smiled at me as he headed towards the door. "Have a nice day Miss Wayne. Rest assured that we will get the Joker."

"I know," I replied halfheartedly. I wanted to believe it desperately, but my reasoning told me that the Joker was just too smart to be caught.

As the door closed, I laid my head back on the pillow propped up against my back. I looked to my right and saw a black remote lying on the nightstand. I hadn't watched television in so long I feared I'd forgotten how to work the simple device. Smiling slightly to myself, I picked it up and turned on the TV that was positioned in the corner of the opposite wall. I recognized the program that first came up as the local news station that featured Mike Engel, who was currently speaking about Harvey Dent.

"…Gotham's DA was injured last night while pursuing the Joker. No information on his exact state has been released yet, but we certainly all wish him speedy recovery. God knows Gotham needs him now more than ever. In other news…"

I tuned out the rest of the broadcast, my mind wandering to Harvey Dent. His room was right next to mine after all – would it be considered rude to drop in for a minute just to see him? Although we didn't know each too well, I decided we'd been through enough together in the past few months to warrant my visitation. Pushing my sheets to the side, I carefully got out of bed, only then realizing how sore my body was. I looked down for the first time to see what I was wearing: a loose blue top and white pajama pants. That was way better than those horrible hospital gowns most people are forced to adorn. Walking carefully to take away some of the pain that came from making any movements, I stepped out into the hallway where I came face to face with two rather large police officers.

"Hello Miss Wayne, what can we do for you?" one of them asked politely, though he had a very authoritative way about him.

"I was hoping I could see Harvey Dent," I said assertively, not wanting to seem like I was up to something mischievious.

The two cops looked at one another before the second man addressed me. "I don't think that would be such a good idea. We've been ordered to alert Commissioner Gordon before allowing anyone to enter the room."

"I understand, but I'll only be a minute. I just want to thank him for all of his hard work concerning my rescuing in case…well, in case I don't get this chance again," I said sincerely, though I was putting on a bit of a show to increase my chances of being able to see him.

The looks on the cop's faces went from severe to compassionate in a nanosecond. "Well, I think it would be okay if you went in for a few minutes," the cop who first addressed me stated while the other nodded in agreement. Without another word, he turned around and opened the door for me.

"Thank you so much," I said as I stepped into the room, the door closing right behind me. With a deep breath, I approached the bed to face Harvey Dent.


	25. Saying Goodbye to Harvey Dent

**I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter. I was having a bit of writer's block, but I hope you all like this chapter :) I want to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/subscribed to alerts. Here's a list of the wonderful new readers: mccrocm, Selene is the Joker's Girl, Ellej55, darkxXxflames, ClassicalBrunette, Gemini6690, CamillaSerafina, MalfoyDebauchery, ordermask, Bat-Girl-1194, Jokersgirl595, Ebo94, amandathepanda, jenny oliver, EmlieCullen, HaileyHavoc, Pause For Suspense, zgirl21, Joon the Ninja, JoBellaRose, MadrigalPrincess, Nocturnal Rose, DarKnight1Fan, tinathemagicalmishap, Samwich520, KismetKAZE, Cupcake on a Mission, DanilnWonderland, MusicDeLovely, heatherven, SSDarkangel811, HeavenlyCondemned, le-vrai-visqueux, Mrs. Twilight, and the town's been talkin'. Thank you all for your support! Please remember to review and tell me what you think :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight" characters, nor am I making any sort of profit off of this story. I do own all original characters and the plot. Now on with the story :)**

The first thing I noticed about the room was the staggering atmosphere; an angry hostility filled every corner, causing me to feel the need to leave as quickly as I could and never look back. I stared in awe at the sleeping Harvey Dent, his head cocked to the left in what appeared to be a stiff manner. His expression was blank, innocent looking to an extent, but I could immediately feel the animosity pouring off of his body. My hand continued to clench the cold, metal doorknob as I studied this man who already seemed to be a complete stranger to me, even in his sleep.

Before I had time to backtrack my steps and leave, the blonde individual lying on the bed began to stir. There was still a chance for me to turn around and leave, pretend I'd never even stepped foot into the room. I sighed heavily, however, as I realized my decision had already been made for me. I couldn't leave him now. Not after all he'd been through. Not after all he'd done for me.

My hand dropped from the knob to lie limply at my side as I turned fully around and took a hesitant step towards the bed, not wanting to startle him. I waited with bated breath as the unknowing Harvey began to reveal his full face to me, his eyes still closed in grogginess. As I prepared myself for what I was about to see, Bruce's words reverberated through my mind.

"…_He suffered from some horrific burns."_

What I saw hit me like a ton of bricks, causing me to hold back a gasp. I could feel my eyes widen in both disbelief and horror as I tried to take it all in. The entire left side of Harvey's face, which was virtually nonexistent now, was enveloped by extensive burns and terribly scarred tissue. I was so taken aback that I failed to notice a pair of cold blue eyes gazing up at me in shock and anger.

"What are you doing in here?"

I jumped slightly as my eyes quickly flashed over to meet his, swallowing down the lump that was beginning to form in my throat. If I hadn't been looking right at him, I would have thought someone else in the room had spoken. It didn't seem possible that the livid sounding voice could have come from this man who was known for doing such good, heroic acts. Unfortunately, though, I could already tell that this wasn't the same man. In fact, it broke my heart as I realized I wasn't even sure if that man existed anymore.

I opened my mouth to speak, but words seemed unable to form. Trying best as I could to regain my composure, I cleared my throat and started again. "I'm staying in the room next door…I just wanted to see how you were doing," I stated timidly, feeling like a small child who had just been scolded by a parent.

He continued to stare at me condescendingly, as if I had some ulterior motive for coming in here. I was beginning to regret this decision more and more as each second of awkward silence passed, and I dared not break my gaze. For whatever reason, I felt like taking my eyes off of his would show disrespect, or even weakness, and he would demand me to leave immediately.

Breaking the deadly silence, he huffed as if he found something oddly amusing about the whole situation, though I couldn't even begin to figure out what. My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to decipher the meaning behind his demeanor and prepared for an attack that was surely to come.

"We're really in the same boat, aren't we?" he began, watching me with that same intent stare, though a bit of the coldness in his gaze seemed to have warmed up.

I slowly closed the remaining space between us and sat down in a chair beside his bed. Feeling somewhat safe again in his presence, I nodded slightly as if beckoning him to elaborate.

"We've both been wronged," he continued, "by the same antagonistic force. But it's not just that, is it? That's just not enough. We were good people, people who had never done anything to disrupt the cycle of humanity, and look what happened. We had everything ripped away from us in the blink of an eye. We're the ones who are forced to bear the scars of our wronging." Though his voice had barely risen in his anger, I could feel the venom emitting from his lips with every word he spoke. It was as if he was speaking each syllable individually to convey just how angry he was with the world, and how betrayed he felt by all of mankind.

I couldn't find anything to say in response, but I really didn't think he wanted me to speak. He was venting right now and I was the perfect person to take it, because what he said was right. We were virtually in the same situation. Two separate people from separate worlds who could never go back to the lives we'd once known. We were both changed – changed against our own will.

I watched Harvey glare up at the plain white ceiling, his eyes glazed over in thought. The two of us sat there in silence for a minute or so, though this time it wasn't so much an awkward silence as it was a thoughtful one.

"We can change it, though," I said absentmindedly. I looked back up at Harvey, watching him blink once before turning his head to look at me.

"Everything you said was true, but that doesn't mean we have to stay on the bottom. I sure as hell don't plan to, and I know you don't, either. Everyone has the power to make their own destiny. Whether they do so or not is completely up to them. Only the weak let the antagonist keep them down. We're not weak, Harvey…we're not weak," I stated confidently.

He continued to stare at me for a few moments, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, before nodding slightly. "You could be a politician someday," he stated with an unexpected hint of amusement in his voice.

I gave him a small smile, pretending to think about his statement for a moment, before shaking my head. "I don't like crowds."

For a split second, the old Harvey was back; the one whose smile traveled to his eyes, lighting them up like a bright star in the dark sky. However, he was gone as quickly as he came. Despite my speech and the look of hope that had come into his eyes, I found myself fighting back tears. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I realized that was the last time I'd ever see Harvey Dent again.

I quietly stepped out of the room, shutting the door softly behind me. The two police officers who allowed me entrance shot me quick smiles, which I couldn't find the heart to return. As I stepped back into my own quarters, I immediately registered the man sitting on my bed.

"How did it go?" Bruce asked, though I was sure my facial expression told the whole story.

Feeling helpless and weak, I sat down on the bed beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder for support. Pushing back the tears that were threatening to brim over was becoming increasingly harder, but I told myself I wasn't going to allow them to fall. As I felt Bruce's arms wrap around me, I immediately felt that sense of protection and comfort I didn't even know I'd been longing for since I'd arrived in Gotham.

Much to my dismay, that first drop of moisture slid down my cheek before I could try to hold it back. All of the pent up emotions I'd been harboring were now coming to the surface, and though I hated the idea, I knew I had to let them out.

I'm not sure how long we sat there on the edge of the bed, but I was more than thankful that Bruce was willing to sit there with me all the while. This was a completely new experience for the both of us. Neither of us were very dependant people. We tended to work through problems on our own, pushing feelings to the very back of our priority list. It wasn't that we were cold hearted – far from it, in fact – we just couldn't handle having to face our inner demons.

It was when I picked my head off of his shoulder and began to wipe my tears that Alfred stepped into the doorway. "I'm so sorry for intruding, but Mr. Wayne, could I see you out in the hallway for a moment?" the elderly man asked tentatively.

Bruce looked down at me to make sure I was okay, his eyes showing nothing but care and compassion. I nodded as I continued to wipe away my drying tears. "Go ahead, I'm fine," I said, my voice hoarse from crying.

He stared at me for a few more moments before standing up and following Alfred out of the room. I stood up and went into the bathroom located to the right of the entrance. I sighed as I looked into the mirror and saw my beat-red face staring back at me. Turning on the cold water, I splashed my face to cool myself down a bit. As the water ran down my face and onto my neck, I couldn't suppress a shiver as I remembered _his_ fingers trailing down my cheeks and running over my jaw line. I closed my eyes as his malicious laughter echoed through my brain, the mere memory of him taking over my being.

I opened my eyes and, with one last look in the mirror, turned off the bathroom light and headed back into the room. When I saw that Bruce and Alfred had yet to return, I decided to go out in the hallway and see what was happening. The two police officers who had been guarding the doors were now replaced by two new men. I looked down the hallway to where one of the lobbies was located and saw a large group of people crowded together, looking up at a television set.

I noticed the officers eyeing me wearily and smiled slightly up at them. "Do you mind if I go down there for a second and see what's going on? My guardian's down there, too," I said, wondering if I was going to have as much luck with these officers as I did with the others.

They both glanced at each other before nodding once in unison. "I'll go down there with you," one of them stated. He was about six feet tall with dark hair and looked to be in his early thirties.

The two of us walked the fairly short distance side by side. As we got closer, the sound of the television was becoming clearer. I could tell it was a news program and there was a man being shown simply sitting in the guest chair. Approaching the screen, I could see there was a look of sheer terror on his face, and it didn't take me long to figure out why.

A feeling of cold dread rushed through my veins as soon as that voice reached my ears. My footing automatically faltered slightly, my body telling me to immediately run in the other direction.

"…I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance. If Coleman Reese isn't dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital."

My heart was pounding a mile a minute, my knees growing weaker and weaker as his words fully soaked in. It didn't take a brain sergeant to figure out which hospital he was most likely to target: Gotham General. The very building I was standing in at this moment. The very building hundreds of bed ridden patients were lying in, barely holding on to life.

The terrified silence that filled the room seconds before suddenly turned into mass chaos, the very thing the Joker loved most. I felt someone grab my arm and looked up to see Alfred staring down at me with a worried, yet strangely calm expression. "I need you to wait with these police officers, Jessica. It's imperative you do everything they say. They'll be buses coming any minute now and they'll make sure you get on one safely, do you understand?"

I nodded frantically. "Where's Bruce, though?"

Alfred looked into my eyes for a moment and I could tell he was contemplating whether or not to tell me the truth, whatever the truth was. "We'll discuss it later. Just go in your room and wait for them to tell you when to leave. Everything's going to be okay, I promise," he said as he guided me to my room and shut the door behind him.

I stood there in complete shock. It was quiet in here, except for the occasional beeping of machines signaling that they were still working. I could hear the muffled sound of the hoards of people running up and down the hallway, their frantic voices coming together as one loud roar. Rushing over to the window, I yanked open the shades and saw that buses were indeed beginning to pull into the parking lot.

Suddenly pulling me out of my thoughts, the door opened behind me and I whirled around expecting to see one of the police officers. Instead, I found myself facing a man who had to be in his mid to late twenties. He had dark hair, glasses and was wearing a white lab coat, giving off a very professional air. I stared at him in confusion wondering what exactly was going on.

"Are we leaving now?" I asked, trying my best to stop my voice from shaking.

A feeling of foreboding filled the room as the man closed the door securely before turning to me, now adorning a charming smile.

"Crazy times right now, huh?" he asked as if we were discussing something in the paper. He took a step forward, leading me to cautiously take one back.

He widened his smile encouragingly. "I'm terribly sorry; I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Dr. Jonathan Crane," he said as he continued to slowly walk up to me. This time I had no room to retreat, my back already up against the window frame. "And everyone knows you, of course. Miss Jessica Wayne, goddaughter of the billionaire bachelor, Mr. Bruce Wayne," he continued as he looked me up and down. Watching him do this made me feel dirty, violated in a way. I crossed my arms over my chest, which caused him to smirk. "But of course we both know what you're really known for, don't we?" he said, now only a foot away from me. "You're the object of the Joker's affection…and now I can see why."

My breaths became more ragged as I realized he was only four inches away from me now - way too close for comfort. "What do you want?" I asked coldly, glancing at the closed door behind him to judge the distance between me and the police officers waiting just beyond the threshold. Sadly, I didn't think I'd be able to make it past him if I made a run for it. The way his body was built told me he was probably quick and would catch me before I could even blink.

"Oh, don't worry, this is nothing personal. Some colleagues and I just have a little…business to handle with the Joker, and we figured you were the best ticket to get his attention if you will," he stated, still as calm as ever. He raised his eyebrows at me as he pulled a piece of folded paper out of his breast pocket and neatly propped it up on the nightstand. I glanced down at it from the corner of my eye and could make out the word "Joker" written in a nice, curvy handwriting.

Catching another movement, I turned my attention back to him and watched as he reached his hand into his larger pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with a clear liquid. My hands were visibly shaking now as both fear and anger took over. Realizing what was about to happen, my fight or flight instinct came into play and I kicked him as hard as I could in the shin. With the exit in clear view, I quickly ran around him. This plan was foiled, however, when I felt him grab hold of my ankle, causing me to fall to the ground. I began kicking with all my might as he got to his knees and crawled on top of me. I managed to punch him once in the jaw, but he quickly pinned both of my arms above my head with one hand, while his other held the syringe in a tight grip.

"You certainly are a feisty one," he said breathlessly as he towered over top of me, all of his weight being placed on my waist. His hair was now disheveled and hanging down in front of his face. "Maybe we'll be able to fix that."

I cringed as I wondered what he could possibly mean by that, though I didn't really want to think about it. Realizing I was now defenseless, I opened my mouth to scream, but was cut off by a stinging on the left side of my neck. I blinked a few times as the room started to get cloudy and my body began to feel weak. My breathing was leveling out as my system started to calm down. The last thing I saw was Crane's face hovering above mine before I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	26. The Scarecrow

**A/N: Thank you all so much for be so patient with me while awaiting this chapter. Please remember to review and tell me what you think! I'm going to list all of my new readers who reviewed/subscribed at the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters seen in the movies or comics. I do own the plot and all original characters.**

* * *

It was serene here. A hazy cloud enveloped me, a peacefulness taking over all of my senses. A calm breeze was blowing my hair back as I stood in the middle of a meadow, large trees surrounding the outskirts, protecting me from whatever harsh reality lay beyond them. Taking a deep breath, a sweet and fresh scent filled my nostrils, bringing back a feeling of comfort and familiarity. Not wanting to take the moment for granted, I slowly laid myself down on the ground. With the clear blue sky now in sight, I couldn't suppress the smile that danced across my lips in blissful happiness.

There was no sense of time: no worries, no struggles, and no judgments. It was merely peace in its purest form. Was I dead? Was this Heaven? Did I care? No. No, I didn't care.

A few minutes or maybe a few hours passed before I began to hear muffled noises in the far distance. Sitting up out of my comfortable position in the soft grass, I strained my ears to catch what was being carried in the wind. I was able to decipher that it was a voice, maybe more than one. Suddenly, a feeling of dread fell upon the entire meadow, filling me up with a cold terror. The sun that had been casting down warmth was covered by dark clouds. I stood up, my legs threatening to crumple underneath my weight which all of a sudden seemed terribly heavy. An overbearing screeching sound came from the sky and I hastily covered my ears in a desperate attempt to block it out; this was to no avail, however, as the sound seemed to be emitting from inside my own head now. Hot tears streamed down my face as I squeezed my eyes shut.

My paradise was lost.

Those voices I'd heard before were now loud and clear, their deep rumbles beginning to come into my realm completely. My eyes flew open with a rattled gasp. I blinked rapidly to both try to adjust to the dim lighted room I now found myself in as well as fight the stinging sensation attacking my dry eyes.

"Thirty-six hours. That must be some sort of record. Remind me to contact Guinness later on," stated the smug male voice somewhere ahead of me. It was vaguely familiar, but I just couldn't place it without the face. I heard footsteps and a door slam somewhere above.

My head began pounding, making it feel as if a jack hammer was trying to make its way through my skull. I moved my hand to attempt to rub away the agony, but found myself unable to move. My eyes shot open as I tried yet again to move my arm only to find I was being held down – tied down to be more precise. With adrenaline now rushing through my veins, everything came into focus. I was bound by old rope to a chair in the middle of what appeared to be a dirty basement. Struggling for breath, I desperately tried to remember anything that had happened in the last thirty-six hours. Nothing was coming to me.

"The first few seconds after waking up from a drug induced sleep are always the most terrifying. Your lungs feel as if they're collapsing, a cold sweat covers you. Don't worry, sweetie, it'll come back to 'ya in a few more seconds."

Hearing the voice once again, I slowly raised my head, genuinely afraid to see who exactly I was going to be faced with. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to place the man casually lounging in a chair about ten feet away from me. Late twenties, dark ruffled hair, pouty lips…who was this?

My bottom lip began to quiver, jaw slacking and eyes widening. _The hospital._

"Scarecrow," I stated rather than asked, glaring at him venomously. I was sure this attempt at a threatening stare wasn't as effective as I'd have liked it to be due to my current drowsy state. This assumption was confirmed when the man chuckled, clearly not shaken by my pathetic display of anger and hatred.

"See, I told you you'd get it. Kudos to you," he said with the quick clapping of his hands, openly mocking me.

"Where am I?" I asked through clenched teeth, strength very slowly coming back to my body. I would take however much I could get at this point.

"Oh, who really cares about those little details," he stated carelessly, still maintaining that enraging relaxed disposition. He stood from his seated position and, with his hands in his pockets, began to slowly circle my chair at a five foot radius. "You want to know what I find interesting, Jessica dear?"

I began pushing against the binding ropes, both out of the want to escape and anger. I needed to keep my mind on something other than this maniac's voice. It was inevitable that he would drive me crazy in a mere hour if he kept this casualty up and he knew it, too.

"Don't want to even venture a guess? Well, I'll tell you anyway. See, I managed to take you from your hospital room in the midst of all that mess created by the Joker thirty-six hours ago and do you know how many phone calls I've gotten? Zero," he stated with the hint of an angry chuckle. "How many people have shown up at my door, just biting at the bit to reclaim you. You guessed it, none. Do you know how many times you've been mentioned on the news?" He took a dramatic pause that hung aimlessly in the air. "Not once."

I'm not going to lie and claim that the last bit of that mini-rant didn't shock me. I shifted my eyes to the ground as he made his way behind me.

"It's interesting, yet not completely unexpected, I guess. I'm sure the police aren't quite ready to come to terms with the fact that they managed to lose their little puppy once again. Nor is Bruce I'm sure. Gosh, what a blow to him-"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled with a scratchy throat, shocking myself at the sudden outburst.

"Touchy subject I see," he stated, enjoyment coating his voice. I felt him place his hands on the back of my chair, leaning against it for support. "As I was saying, that I can understand. What bewilders me is the main player in this game making no moves, and I believe you know who I'm speaking of. He's not the type to just sit back and wait it out as you have experienced yourself."

Deep breaths. In and out, in and out, Jessica.

I was resorting to talking to myself, regulating my own breathing patterns in my head in an attempt to control my rising anger. It wasn't like there was much I could really do bound to this chair, the scratchy rope rubbing against my sore wrists with even the slightest of movements.

I felt his hands move away from the back of my chair as he made his way around to kneel down in front of me.

"Peculiar, isn't it? Since you two have had such quality bonding time, though, when do you think he will make a move? I mean, realistically he could burst through that door right now, shoot me and carry you off to wherever his latest lair resides. Does that scare you, Jessica? That you have no control over your own life?" His eyes bore into mine in what appeared to be genuine interest in whether his words affected me or not.

Truth be told, it terrified me that the Joker could come through that door any second now. It terrified me that I had no control. But what could have possibly terrified me more than anything was the fact that I was able to recognize these fears in an eerily normal way. It was as if I was speaking of my fear of heights or bugs, not a homicidal maniac forcing his way back into my life at any moment.

"Yeah, peculiar," I stated, huffing in sarcastic amusement.

"It looks like now we'll be spending some quality time together if this pattern keeps up. Exciting, huh?" he said as he pinched my cheek animatedly. I pulled away from his display of grandmotherly affection in disgust as he let out a chuckle and stood up to his full height.

With my brain now functioning well enough to come up with something witty to say back to him, I decided to jump at the chance to poke fun at him. "Since we're going to be spending this quality time together, what should I call you? I mean, it's obvious you have some misplaced sense of identity that you need to clean up, but until you go through all of that therapy and fix whatever mind you haven't completely lost already, is it going to be Scarecrow, Crane or what?" I questioned, faking sincere concern.

His eyes narrowed in my direction for a second, his shoulders stiffening for only a moment before a smirk slowly appeared on his lips. "Next time I see Joker boy I'm going to have to ask him how he managed to deal with this shitty attitude of yours."

"That is if you live long enough to get a word in the conversation to begin with," I said before I had time to even think about what had just come out of my mouth and how it must have sounded.

His widening smile confirmed my fear of how badly that statement did in fact sound. Great, I'd just dug myself into a deeper hole with this maniac. "Is that so? Then maybe this scheme really hasn't been for nothing," he said softly before turning around and heading across the room to a staircase I hadn't noticed up until this point. That explained where the footsteps I'd heard earlier had headed to.

"You're just going to leave me down here?" I asked in disbelief.

"Try not to miss me too much, kiddo." He sent a wink in my direction before trudging up the creaky staircase, the top half of which was hidden from my view.

There was no telling how much longer I'd be here, wherever "here" was exactly. Maybe Crane was right; maybe the police were too worried about their own self image to publicize my kidnapping yet again. Hopefully that didn't mean they had given up on all aspects of the search. I couldn't bring myself to even imagine Bruce allowing that to happen. The main problem I could find in the police possibly succeeding in locating me was that they'd be looking in all the wrong places – and for the wrong person at that.

Was I even in Gotham anymore? I was sure I was since Crane or whatever his name was had been watching the news while expecting the Joker to come in at any time.

I sighed deeply as I looked around the dingy basement making me feel even gloomier. The walls were a rusty gray color with a vent located in the top right hand corner. There were no windows or doors. No way out except up the stairs and I didn't think I wanted to know what lay beyond there. I strained my ears to hear if there was any noise coming from upstairs. There was the occasional set of footsteps and I could hear muffled voices, though I certainly couldn't decipher what they were saying.

With all the energy I could muster, I tried yet again to free my hands. The tattered rope burned my wrists with each desperate attempt and it didn't take long for me to become out of breath with exhaustion. Whatever drug that man upstairs had in that vial at the hospital was really messing me up. Feeling defeated, I closed my eyes and hung my head to assess the situation.

At this point in time, there were three possible outcomes to this mess. Number one, which I was most hopeful for, involved the police divvying out the clues and learning of my whereabouts, coming to rescue me for good this time. Number two, I truly would be stuck with Crane for who knows how long, and I would be forced to undergo that "quality time" we'd been previously speaking of. Or three, the Joker would come prancing in here for me at his own leisure, maybe finding a way to keep me hidden away from the world forever this time.

What could I do about all of this? Absolutely nothing other than sit here and wait. That's all I could do in this unbelievable situation. Sit and wait for whatever my fate might be.

**The Henchmen: Thirty-Six Hours Ago**

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Bob screamed in Cole's masked face. The two men were standing in the middle of the deserted hospital hallway. The sound of frantic voices, sirens and screeching tires were traveling up from outside the large vacant building.

"I mean she's not there, man! She's gone, the plan didn't work out - big surprise," Cole stated as he threw his hands up in defeat.

"Shit man…SHIT!" he screamed before pausing for a moment. "I'm not telling him," Bob stated matter-of- factly.

Cole's eyes immediately widened in both shock and fright at Bob's declaration of neutrality. "Oh, no. There's no way in hell I'm going to be the one to tell him," he stated frantically shaking his head. Suddenly, he remembered what he had found in the room. "Look at this though, Bob. This is going to cause some bullets to fly." At that, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to his much larger companion.

Bob wearily snatched the paper from his hand and unfolded it once to see 'Joker' written in curvy handwriting. With a ragged sigh, he unfolded it again to reveal a message written in the same fancy script.

_"Well, Joker, it appears we have come to the crossroads. I'd embellish that statement, but I'll just get straight to the point for you. I have Jessica Wayne. Yes, your more than likely plan of sweeping her off her feet once again has come to a fork in the road and it's up to you to make the next move. You have a choice to make: you can either hand over the reins of the city to me or your precious Jessica will be murdered. And trust me, it won't be a happy ending. I'm hiding somewhere in the city in what certainly isn't the most unlikely of places if you wish to speak face to face, but be warned, I'm not alone. Looking forward to seeing you soon, pal. Sincerely, Scarecrow."_

"You've got to be kidding me," Bob muttered underneath his breath. He looked up at Cole, his face a shade paler than its regular complexion. "What the fuck are we supposed to do now?" he asked looking around to make sure nobody was there. Not that he was really concerned about this considering the building was expected to blow up in, oh, about three minutes.

The plan on arrival was that Bob and Cole, adorning their clown attire, were to knock out the police officers guarding Jessica's room and carry her down to the getaway car while Joker taunted Harvey Dent – or what was left of him anyway.

"I don't know, but this isn't good," he said as he rubbed his hand over his face.

"Like I said, I'm no-"

"Looky looky here. What are you two boys still doing lurking around?"

The voice caused Bob's heart to stop. Even though he was larger in frame than the boss and a good three inches taller, his presence still sent chills down his spine. That man was just too unpredictable and he'd seen how irrational he could be when in the best of moods. Bob continued to stare at the man across from him, making a silent deal before turning around to face the inevitable.

"Boss," he started, unfazed by the ridiculous nurse outfit the man was wearing, though it still caused him to chuckle silently despite the more than severe situation at hand, "we're stuck with an…unexpected block in the plan."

The Joker narrowed his eyes and stuck out his lips, turning his head to the side, though his stare remained unsettlingly steady. He needn't say a word to command Bob to continue.

The man looked down at the letter in his hand and unwillingly handed it over. "Cole found this in her room."

The two men stood stock still as they watched the Joker's eyes flicker from one man to the other before taking and reading the letter. Both separately readied themselves for the outburst that was sure to shake both grown men to the core.

They watched as his hands began to shake, his eyes still staring at the note. They watched as he slowly crumpled the paper in his hand, his knuckles turning white due to the strong fist he was forming. They watched as his head slowly rose, his eyes blacker than they'd ever seen them before. They listened to the growl that emitted from his chest, sounding like a rabid animal that was getting ready to run wild.

Bob ventured out on a limb, not able to bear the eerie silence that was rapidly becoming filled with the Joker's anger. "What are we going to do, boss?"

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**I hope you liked it and please remember to review! Here's the list of my new readers who reviewed/subscribed: MadrigalPrincess, 13-SlipknotMaggotGirl-13, Hbech, AnkeaEnkeli, hislamb99, xBrainsx, Bat-Girl-1194, Madness is me, Lasski, Yin-Yang Tiger, lilygirl592, Summertime3, I'm So Starstrukk, WrittenOnTheSubwayWalls, The Blind Magician, Elven-Fire-Princess, CaitlynNichols, The reviewer named Anonymous, cinderellagirl14, and Dorbie.**


	27. Realizations

**A/N: Hello everyone! I really had no idea what I wanted to do with this chapter since it really could have gone in so many directions. I want to thank each and every one of you who continuously pushed me to get this chapter out, and I once again apologize for delaying it so long. I just have a thing about not forcing myself to write a chapter when I know my heart isn't in it. I strive to make each chapter as good as possible, so I hope you all forgive me. **

**This one doesn't have any action in it, but it leads up to the twist in the next chapter, which I'm sure you will all enjoy ;) I'm honestly going to start on the next chapter as soon as I post this one, because the creativity juices are really flowing right now. Since I want to get straight to the story and cease rambling I'm going to list all of my new reviewers/subscribers at the end and I'm forever grateful to everyone reading this right now. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in the Batman series. I do own the plot and all original characters. **

* * *

"Wakey, wakey, princess!"

I jolted awake at the sound of a door slamming, not needing to strain to remember just where I was this time. No, I remembered well enough. Maybe that was because, before I fell into a lazy sleep, I'd spent hours continuously counting every cinder block in the wall. Hours counting every tiny hole in the ceiling that I could spot from my seat in this forsaken bounded chair. Hours contemplating this ridiculous situation.

After Crane or whatever his name was left me down here, I spent the first half an hour struggling to get free – a lost cause that I should have easily predicted. Next came the counting of the grey cinder blocks and cracks, followed by angry tears that had been pushed back for far too long. Finally exhausted, I managed to fall in and out of sleep for about four hours up until this point.

Looking up, I saw the shaggy haired man leap off of the last step joyously before making his way over to me, a smug smile adorning his lips.

"You look chipper," I stated in a hoarse voice, glaring up at him angrily.

"And why wouldn't I be? After all, we're going to get to spend that quality time together we were talking about," he stated, making his way around my chair.

My breathing began to pick up as he walked out of my line of sight, not at all enjoying the fact that I couldn't see what he was doing. I grew perplexed, however, as I felt his hands begin tugging at the rope bounding my stiff hands together. After a few seconds, the rope fell away from my wrists, which I slowly brought back in front of me. Wriggling my limbs around in the hopes of bringing back circulation, Crane made his way back around to stand before me once more, towering over my fragile form.

"Now here's the deal: I'm going to take you upstairs, let you take a shower and eat something, and then you're coming right back down here, understand?" he asked, staring down at me with a hard gaze.

I automatically nodded, my eyebrows coming together in confusion at his…well, decency. I sure as heck wasn't going to question him, though, fearing that he may turn around and tie me back to the chair, leaving me to starve to death. I had eaten a minimal amount when in the hands of the Joker, and didn't recall eating any hospital food during my short stay at the vicinity. Every night, Angela would come into the room when the Joker was off doing God knows what and give me the leftovers from whatever Bob or Cole had picked up in the city. I didn't require a lot of food to get by due to my relatively small frame, but eating the bare minimal was definitely tough and left me constantly weak – exactly what the Joker wanted.

A small smile slowly crept onto his face as he took in my expression. "Oh, don't worry, I'm no Mr. Nice Guy. If you try anything sneaky up there," he began, kneeling down in front of me, "I'll shoot you right in the back. Like you insinuated earlier, I know the clown would kill me or worse for offing you, but I'd rather deal with that homicidal maniac than with the real joke that is the Gotham Police Department." A disgusted look crossed his face at the mere mention of the force. "So, shall we?" he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the staircase.

"Yes," I said as I stood up slowly, Crane closely copying my motion. My legs were shaking horribly from sitting for so long, a slight numb feeling forcing me to stand in place for a moment before I followed him up the stairs.

When he opened the door, I had to shield my eyes from the bright sunlight that enveloped the both of us. After rapidly blinking for a few seconds to allow my eyes to adjust, I was able to take in the setting and see that the door was located in the middle of a short hallway. To the left at the far end of the hall was a window, the source of the sunlight that casted a soft glow on the hardwood floor beneath our feet.

"The bathroom is right here," Crane said, flipping the light switch on in the room directly across from the basement entrance. "Take a shower first, and someone will be waiting out here the whole time to make sure there's no funny business."

"What about my clothes and a towel?" I asked, absentmindedly crossing my arms.

"There's a pink towel in there on the hook with a toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter. Your clothes will be out here with the person standing guard," he said with a smirk.

I opened my mouth to inform him that I could handle bringing clothes in the bathroom myself, but just settled with the roll of my eyes and a, "Whatever".

He chuckled lightly as he turned to walk away, that same skip in his step. "There's no need to treat me like a damn prisoner," I let out at the sight of his nonchalant attitude.

I walked into the bathroom only to be immediately yanked back into the hallway by a strong grip on my forearm. "That's where you're wrong, princess. You _are_ a prisoner," Crane whispered huskily in my ear, his breath tickling the side of my face.

Frozen in place for only a moment, I yanked my arm out of his tight grip and slammed the bathroom door, immediately locking it to hopefully ensure some privacy. I listened to his retreating footsteps which soon enough overlapped with a pair arriving, stopping just outside the bathroom door. With a heavy sigh I turned around to see the bathroom was rather small, the shower located on my left with a sliding glass door, and the large sink area and toilet on the right. There was a very small window on the far wall, though I sadly noted it was too small to climb through. I hesitated at first, but ultimately decided to look at myself in the mirror. I sucked in a deep breath as I took in what I saw. My hair, already rather long and thick, was a tangly mess from what I could only assume was caused by the intense struggle with Crane in the hospital about two days prior. My eyes were still a little red and puffy from crying myself to sleep, but it was barely noticeable. I looked down to see a still packaged pink toothbrush with an unused tube of toothpaste sitting on the counter. I quickly unwrapped the former of the two and thoroughly brushed my teeth for about five minutes. Once I was satisfied with my clean, minty breath, I rinsed off my toothbrush and turned on the water in the shower. I took off all of my clothes and stepped in once the temperature was hot enough, steam already filling the room.

As soon as the water hit me, I closed my eyes and allowed it to cascade down my body. I immediately blocked any and all memories that were threatening to take over my mind for now wasn't the time to dwell on fear, sadness, or pity. Right now was the time to forget all of that and just soak in every single one of the hot droplets of water, allowing them to wash away all of the pain for the time being. I knew pushing everything away to the darkest depths of my brain wasn't going to truly make them go away, but right now, it felt wonderful. I grabbed the bottle of Aussie shampoo sitting on the shelf, squeezed a large dollop into my hand, and lathered it into my hair. Once I washed the suds out, I noticed a second bottle of conditioner sitting next to it and repeated the process, allowing the conditioner to soak into my hair while I used the soap and wash cloth to clean by body. After washing off, I looked behind me on the other shelf and saw shaving cream and a razor. Bewildered once again by Crane's thoughtfulness, I took the much needed opportunity to shave my legs. It's truly amazing how much a girl misses the little things like this, even though I never would have counted shaving as one of my favorite things to do. Once finished, I simply stood under the shower head for about five minutes to prolong whatever events lay ahead of me.

I was jolted out of my short lived serenity by the growling of my stomach, the all too familiar pangs of hunger on the attack. Shutting off the water, I pulled back the sliding glass door, grabbed the towel, and dried off before wrapping it securely around my body. I adjusted my hair to cover up my collarbone and shoulders as best as I could before I slowly unlocked the door. With a shaky breath, I opened it up just enough to see a tall, muscular man standing straight with a pile of clothes lying neatly in his hands, looking way more like Alfred than the hardened criminal he probably was. Without meaning to, one name came to mind as soon as I saw this burly man, and an unexplainable pang hit me in the chest: Bob.

Feeling now more uncomfortable than before, I reached out my hand to take the clothes away from him. I saw his beady little eyes hastily size me up before he passed the clothes over to me. I muttered a quick 'thanks' before I shut the door and locked it once more. Putting the clothes down by the dry sink, I rested my hands on the counter top and studied myself quizzically in the mirror.

Sure, it was normal to make the association between that guy out there and Bob; after all, both were tall and muscular, and worked for crazy psychopaths. That part I understood. What caused me to question myself was the accompanying surge of emotions that slammed into my chest at his memory.

As I stood staring at my reflection, a sudden and frightening realization came to me.

I missed Bob. Not only him, though, but Cole and Angela as well.

My hand shot up to cover my mouth as tears threatened to fall from their ducts. My entire comfort zone had changed. Home used to be my sense of familiarity, the place I missed more than anything when I was first taken by the Joker. Now, I missed the strange routine that was my life when I was in his vice grip, having him watch my every move with those dark eyes that both frightened and captivated me. Rather than missing Bruce, my loving cousin who had taken me in so unselfishly and vowed to protect me from this harsh world, I missed the one person that I hated the most. The one person who had continuously ripped my life to shreds without any remorse. The one person who had murdered my parents for this sick, twisted game of cat and mouse that would hang over my head and ruin my psyche for the rest of my life.

A sob escaped my throat as my own thoughts betrayed me, punching me in the gut at full force. I forcefully shook my head as if I could shake this new view out of my mind.

"No, no, no, no, no…" I whispered helplessly as I hung my head and allowed the tears to fall freely, too hurt to care any longer, too weak to play strong.

A loud knocking came at the door, followed by a gruff voice that so much resembled Bob's I began to sob even harder.

"Are you okay in there? You need to hurry it up unless you want me to break this door down!" the voice boomed through the locked door, the knob noisily jiggling.

"What's going on?" came Crane's muffled voice.

"I don't know. She came out and got her clothes and then she just started making weird noises in there," the man said, sounding as if he had never had to deal with a person crying in his entire life.

"Jessica, open the door," Crane's voice said through the door. He sounded so much like a psychiatrist dealing with an unruly patient that I almost started to laugh.

"Just let me be for awhile," I managed to choke out, too ashamed to face anyone.

There was a silence from the other side of the door, which could have been a good or a bad thing depending on Crane's next move.

"Just hurry it up," he said simply. I heard him say something inaudible to "Bob" before his footsteps once again retreated down the hallway.

I allowed myself a minute to slow my thudding heart and raged breathing. "Suck it up, Jessica. Just stay strong," I murmured as I splashed my face with cold water to cool down.

I took off my towel and slid on the underwear and sports bra that were eerily the right size. I then put on a pair of dark grey sweatpants and a pink short sleeved shirt, both of which were the right sizes as well. Since there was no brush or comb available, I simply ran my fingers through my damp, waving locks to get out any tangles. Deciding not to waste any more time sulking in my own disgusting feelings, I swung the bathroom door open and turned the light off, looking up at the man who was about a foot taller than my meager 5'4". His whole stance radiated annoyance as he stepped away from the wall he had been leaning up against and began walking down the hallway. After about seven steps he turned to the right where an adjoined kitchen and dining room were located. The hardwood floors that were found in the hallway continued in here, the walls painted a plain white. On the table sat a McDonald's bag with a medium sized drink beside it.

"I figured you wouldn't be too picky about what you'd get to eat," Crane said from the table, hiding behind his newspaper.

I sat down across from him at the small, circular table and opened the bag to reveal a double cheeseburger with fries and an apple pie. As soon as the strong smell hit my nostrils, I quickly pulled out all of the food and devoured it in record time, not caring who was watching or what they thought of my piggish eating. Though I know McDonald's certainly isn't the top choice in healthy eating, I couldn't help but feel forever grateful to the fast food restaurant for helping me feel full for the first time in a long time.

"Ford, clean this up," said Crane who was still nestled behind The Gotham Times.

As I scanned the front cover of the newspaper I realized just how out of the loop I was. The big headline at the top said, "City at War: Mob Lords on the Rise?" with the bottom quarter of the page detailing a story about taxes. On the back page was a continuation of articles from the inside pages, as well as various ads from local businesses in need of employment. I had a sneaking suspicion that Gotham was seeing quite a drop in population size after the Joker's tirade, though it would probably always remain a heavily populated city due to its compelling history.

The man who I now knew to be called Ford came over and roughly picked up the McDonald's bag in which I had deposited all of my trash.

"Ah, once again there is no mention of little Miss Jessica Wayne, nor of yours truly," Crane said as he lowered his newspaper, folding it up neatly and placing it on the table in front of him. "Well now you look much better. Got all of those pent up emotions out, I see."

I nodded as I made little circles on the table with my pointer finger. "Yeah, I just…it made me feel a bit better," I lied as I shrugged and glanced up at him to see him scrutinizing me. If he had caught my fib, which I was sure he had, he made no mention of it as he ran a hand through his hair.

We sat in silence for a few more seconds before both of his hands hit the table as he pushed himself up out of his chair. "Time to head back down to the basement," he said.

My heart began pounding against my chest as I thought about that dark and dirty place below the ground. Having the warm sunlight run across my skin was so soothing that it pained me to have to go back into that cold room out of the way of all human interaction.

"Actually, I-I was wondering if maybe I could stay up here for a bit longer?" I inquired so quietly I wasn't even sure if he had heard me.

"You want to stay up here, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

My eyes widened as a strange glint came into his eyes. I glanced over at Ford who now had a smug look on his face – a look that I had never once seen on Bob's.

"There would have to be a price for that then, don't you think?"

I snapped my head to the right where, now mere inches away, stood Crane's long, lean form towering over me. "Never mind, I'll just go back down to the basement," I said as I began to stand on my feet.

A strong hand wrapped tightly around my shoulder and forcefully pushed me back down into the chair. "No, of course not. After you asked so nicely, it only seems fair that you should be granted your one wish," he said as he kneeled down beside me. "But since we're playing by my rules now, I should set the boundaries, correct?"

I set my jaw in place as my chest heaved up and down, too scared to even see straight.

Crane snapped his fingers and I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he made a signal in Ford's direction. Heavy footsteps turned and descended down the hallway at the gesture, a door creaking as it opened somewhere down the hall.

"What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly as that familiar feeling of fear sent a chill down my spine, my entire body being submerged into cold depths.

Crane didn't respond as his hand continued to grip my shoulder, his stare burning a hole into the side of my face as I looked down at my wringing hands. Heavy footsteps made their way down the hall and back into the kitchen followed by a loud 'thump' that came about somewhere behind me.

I risked looking back, my face reluctantly getting closer to Crane's in the process. My jaw dropped at what the cause of the loud noise had been: a vacuum cleaner. Ford was openly smiling now, a soft chuckle emitting from his chest.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked in utter disbelief.

"A joke? Seems like you've been hanging around Joker boy for-"

"Shut up," I said calmly, not wanting anyone to mention that monster, especially after the sudden realization I'd come to in the bathroom.

"Excuse me?" Crane said huskily, obviously angered by my lack of respect.

Not caring about whether or not he believed he deserved respect because he had a doctor title in front of his name, I turned to look him directly in the eye and clearly responded. "I said shut up."

A crazed look came into his eye as he yanked me to my feet and shoved me into the direction of the vacuum.

"What I say goes here, and if you want to stay upstairs, you're going to clean this house," said Crane. He sounded slightly out of breath – something I assumed was caused by him attempting to keep his anger in check. "So, what's your verdict, Jessica?"

The sound of my name coming from his lips caused me to shut my eyes as his voice was overlapped by one much more terrifyingly familiar. That voice would forever be engrained into my memory whether I liked it or not; a fact I accepted long ago.

I opened and closed my mouth as I thought about how degrading it would be to clean my kidnapper's house, assuming that this was indeed his house and not some poor murdered family's. I shivered at the prospect and went back to the matter at hand. My ultimate decision was that it would be better to stay up here around people, no matter how despicable, than be trapped alone in that dingy basement.

Swallowing my pride I gave my, as he put it, verdict. "I'll stay up here and clean."

"Pardon me, I didn't catch that," Crane proclaimed as he walked around to stand in front of me, leaning forward slightly to hear me better.

"I'll stay up here and clean," I responded more confidently. Maybe if I sounded as if I wanted to do it the task wouldn't be so horrible. After all, the house already appeared to be in good condition.

"Good choice," he said as he pinched my cheek like he had done earlier. "First you'll vacuum, then you can dust," he said happily.

"Fine," I said as I walked forward and grabbed the vacuum, unwrapping the cord from around it so I could plug it into an outlet.

"Start in the living room," he said as he led me across the hallway and into said room.

It was then that I noticed the door located in the front, left corner of the room, light streaming in through its small window.

"Hey," Crane said as he stepped in front of my beacon of hope, "don't get any ideas, you understand? Remember what I said about what would happen? I mean it. See, that's one of the big ways Joker boy and I differ: I'm not going to chase after you."

"Sir, yes, sir," I said sarcastically, causing him to pat me on the head. He located an outlet beside the couch and plugged the vacuum in, giving me one last look before turning the vacuum on and strutting out of the room. I wasn't alone for long, though, as Ford quickly stepped into his place, leaning against the entrance as I started my mini cleaning spree.

After going from the living room, to the kitchen, up through the hallway, and into the bathroom and bedrooms, I finally finished my first designated chore. The only vacuuming I had ever done took place in my own bedroom, my parents always having a strict policy about me learning responsibility by keeping my room clean. Though I of course had never enjoyed this chore, it seemed strangely therapeutic under the current circumstances. Focusing on one action and outcome made it so much easier to put everything else on the bottom of my list. This may sound ridiculous or even impossible to most people, but it worked – that was all that mattered.

Now that I was finished, I reported back to Crane who was seated at the kitchen table writing something down. He gave me a bottle of Windex, a rag, and a duster before sending me on my way to play the role of a maid. When I thought of my little project in that way, I thanked my lucky stars, which seemed to be few in numbers at this point, that Crane hadn't forced me to wear some French maid uniform. If that had been the case, I surely would have chosen solitude over prancing about the house to please his sick mind.

That brought me to my next train of thought; though it was common knowledge that Dr. Crane's alter ego was the Scarecrow, proving his insanity, he honestly didn't seem as horrible as I pictured him to be. Sure, the confrontation in the hospital was enough to shake me up and warn me for future reference to never make him angry, but his attention to detail to make my life seem semi-normal here was astonishing. From the bathroom supplies, to cleaning the house, it was far more comfortable than any amount of time I'd spent under the Joker's roof. Hoping that I hadn't cursed my luck by thinking such thoughts, I went along and finished dusting every room.

By the time I was finished, I looked at the clock to see it was 5:30 PM, and made my way back into the kitchen. The sun was already beginning to set, leaving me to wonder just how many more nights I would have to spend in this house.

I sat the supplies down on the counter and looked around the room, astonished to realize I was alone. Confused, I walked into the living room to find it vacant as well with the front door wide open. There were soft red and gold tones coming through the doorway as the day began to say adieu, passing the reigns over to the night.

I called out Crane's name once to see if he was standing just outside the exit, but received no reply. With caution controlling every movement, I forced myself to step away from the spot I was currently planted to and made my way towards the door. It seemed like an eternity had came and went by the time I found myself in the doorway to the house, finally seeing the outside world with seemingly no restraints for the first time. I was now able to see that we were in a neighborhood that appeared to be just right outside the city, the infamous tall buildings looking extremely close. The street was lined with nearly all one story houses, most of which were built with red bricks.

It was then that a soft wind blew into the house, the beautiful smell of the outdoors pleasing all of my senses with its caring touch. My hair, slightly ruffled, tickled my cheek as a single strand flew in front of my face. My eyes closed as a small smile fell upon my pink lips. It was a moment in time that seemed to occur in slow motion – a moment that can only be triggered by the coming of safety.

I was soon to learn, however, that the wind is always at its calmest just before the fury of a great storm.

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	28. Return of the Savior

**A/N: Woah, two chapters in two days - how's that for progress? haha. This is by far the longest chapter I've ever written, and I really hope you all enjoy it. I want to thank my brand new reader nicole napier for finding the story just yesterday and giving it a chance. Also, I'm going to be posting a poll on my profile page sometime soon about whether all of you lovely readers would be interested in me writing a sequel once this story is finished, because I don't think there's going to be more than five chapters left in this one :( I've been working up a sequel in my mind for a long time now, but I don't want to write it if you all aren't interested in reading it. I'll tell you when I finally do get around to putting it up, so please be thinking about whether you want me to continue the Joker/Jessica saga. Please remember to review! On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters. I do own all original characters and the plot. **

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"It's refreshing, isn't it? That first step you take outside on your own accord is the one that makes you feel alive again."

I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of a male voice behind me. There was something so strangely familiar about it, yet I felt it was one that could only be found in a dream. With my eyebrows furrowed, I turned around and nearly fainted at the sight before me: a young man looking like an angel with the golden glow from the setting sun surrounding him.

"Nick?" I whispered, tears blurring my vision as I stared at the specter standing in the middle of the living room.

"Jessica," he said softly, studying me with sheer love and admiration in his eyes.

Though it was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen, the eighth wonder of the world even, I knew it was a mere figment of my imagination. Nick was dead. I had watched the Joker shoot him, and checked his pulse to find his good, caring heart no longer beating.

"But you died," I stated in disbelief from the entryway.

A smile came to his face as he looked down at the ground and chuckled. "I nearly did, yeah," he said as he rose his head back up to look at me. "A few minutes after you all left the warehouse backups from the police department came and searched the building. When they found me, I was just barely alive, slipping in and out of consciousness every few minutes due to the pain and blood loss. The Joker shot me in the abdomen, and if the rescue squad had shown up just five minutes later, I would have died," he explained, taking a step in my direction.

"I felt your pulse though. T-there's was nothing there." A single tear escaped from my eye and slid slowly down my cheek, though I didn't notice it.

"It was a miracle," he said with the nod of his head, looking truly sympathetic at my pain and confusion.

I sighed sadly as I brought my hands up and rubbed them over my face, still sure that this was just some sort of vision. "I'm dreaming aren't I?" I asked out loud, knowing I was only talking to myself.

A gentle pair of hands wrapped around my own and brought them down in between us, forcing me to gaze into Nick's gorgeous brown orbs. "No, you're not. I can prove it to you. Come here," he said as he began to lead me outside.

I planted myself firmly to the doorstep, however, causing him to turn and look at me in confusion. "Am I allowed to?" I asked, still not sure where Crane or Ford had gone off to. It would be just my luck to make one movement to the outside world and get tackled in the side by the tractor trailer that is Ford.

"Yeah, the others are out back talking. You're safe now," he said reassuringly.

That one sentence was all I needed to take that ground shattering step down off of the doorstep and onto the concrete path that led to the street. I allowed him to hold my hand as I walked a step behind him down the path and onto the asphalt road.

"What am I looking for?" I asked, still astonished by this whole situation. We walked down the street, passing by two houses before we stopped about ten feet away from the corner.

"Do you see that street sign?" he asked, pointing at the green sign that was just close enough to read.

"Yeah, what about it?" I asked, still unable to see the significance of it.

"What does it say?" he asked patiently.

"It says Harrison Street," I responded as I looked back up at him. "So?"

"Do you remember the night I almost died? Well, when I was lying on the floor falling in and out of consciousness, I was able to pick up that Angela had convinced Joker to take you guys to a club. I hadn't thought of it at the time, but when I was hooked up to the IV's in the back of the ambulance it clicked that you guys were heading to Tonic. It was the only place Angela talked about for months after it opened."

My eyes widened as I remembered the uplifting event that had occurred after the confrontation with Penguin and the other goons.

_256 Harrison Street_

_Everything's ok. I'm always watching._

"The note was from you? But how, hadn't you just come out of surgery by the time I'd found that?"

"Yeah, I was. That's where everything gets…complicated," he said, looking down at our intertwined fingers.

As I looked at the expression on his face I could tell there was far more to this story than I probably wanted to know. "Does it explain why you're here right now with Crane?"

He simply nodded, still unable to look me in the eye. "Yeah, but we can't talk about it out here in the open. Let's go back to the house and I'll explain everything."

Scared but intrigued to hear this story, the two of us walked back to house number 256, closed the door on the now darkening sky, and settled onto the couch Indian style to face each other.

"Okay," he began, taking a big breath before diving into the story, "about an hour after the doctor had performed the surgery, taking the bullet out and stopping the bleeding, I woke up to find a man sitting beside my bed. I didn't know who he was at first, but his voice quickly placed him in my mind as the Scarecrow, or Dr. Jonathan Crane as he was called at Arkham. I'd only met him once when I was on a school field trip to the hospital, but even then he'd given me the creeps."

"That's definitely some school field trip," I said, shocked that any parent would allow their child to step foot into an asylum that harbored some of the most dangerous criminals on Earth.

"Tell me about it. It seems as if Gotham is different in virtually every aspect of life from the rest of the world," he said with the shake of his head. "But anyway, he started asking me about the Joker; the different hideouts we'd used, the types of things he would say in private, that sort of thing. Then, he start asking me about you, which woke me up completely."

I smiled slightly at the idea that, even when he was in the midst of recovering from a bullet he had taken for me, he still cared about my welfare.

"He started talking about how the crime lords in town had made a pact with him to kidnap you in order to get to the Joker. They're really pissed off at him for screwing up the city and killing a good number of their men," he explained.

"Wait, how in the world do they think I'm the way to get to the Joker?" I asked in disbelief.

Nick's eyes bore into my face as he stared at me with a look that relayed both shock and sympathy. "You honestly don't see it, do you?" he asked quietly.

I looked down at my folded hands in my lap. The signs had been there, of course. The cryptic things the Joker would say to me, the back story Angela had told me about in the tractor trailer that night. I'd always preferred to believe that the Joker was just a sick, malicious man who had taken me for the want of fame and wealth, hoping to get paid off by Bruce with ransom money. I remember how shocked I was when the Joker made no moves to do either thing, though. Sure, we were all over the news, but he never seemed to care that it was about us, focusing rather on getting to Harvey Dent. He'd never sent out a letter saying he'd kidnapped me, nor did he ever ask for any sort of payment to return me home safely. To top it all off, he'd spent more time trying to recapture me when I escaped than focusing on the mass chaos he liked to throw on this city. I knew I was going to have to face the supposed truth sooner or later, but my psyche still seemed unable to handle it just yet.

"Look, Jessica, I'd worked for the Joker about a year before you came along. I know for a fact that he is as cold and demented as they all say he is. He doesn't care about anything in this world; he keeps himself attached to nothing. I don't even think he really cares if he himself lives or dies. His sole…purpose in life, if that's what you want to call it, is to bring chaos and anarchy to the world, because he thinks it's the only way to live. When you came along, though, everything changed. Though this may seem strange for you to hear, I…I think you gave him a reason to live," he explained.

Taking a deep breath, I put my head in my hands as I allowed everything to soak. "I just can't believe this is happening," I said, unable to stop my voice from cracking at the last word.

"I can't even imagine what this whole thing must be like for you. When the Joker captured you that first time, I knew I couldn't live with myself if I'd have let you stay. For a few weeks beforehand the Joker had been acting so strange, always going out at odd hours either by himself or with Bob-"

"Angela already told me about all of that," I said, referring to the truck incident. With a deep breath I raised my head to stare at Nick, and contemplated his story for once. I was genuinely curious about how he had found himself in this situation, though I also wanted to divert the conversation away from myself. "How did you even become one of his henchmen?" I asked. He seemed far too sweet of a person to have the capability to go through with the Joker's horrendous acts.

"I was just sick of my mom and step-dad constantly fighting. My dad left us when I was just six months old. He was more worried about when he was gonna get to shoot up again than about me," he said with the shake of his head, his facial expression hardening. "I wasn't the top student in my class, so my mom automatically thought I was a failure. She'd been super smart in high school, but couldn't afford to go to college, which is how she got stuck with my scumbag of a father," he paused, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "I understand that she just wanted the best for me, but she'd always had a strange way of showing she cared," he said sadly. "Then when my step-dad came along when I was about fourteen, everything just went even farther downhill. He'd come home drunk at three in the morning, just reeking of cigarette smoke and booze. Sometimes he'd wake me up just to start a fight, but if I ever punched him back in defense my mom would go ballistic."

Nick didn't appear to have any problem reliving his horrendous past, though I could tell it pained him deep down to face the situation he'd had thrown at him at such a young and fragile age. I encouragingly placed his warm hands in mine, wanting to comfort him for a change. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," I said truthfully. I'd been blessed with two parents who had loved me and were able to provide for me, and even though they were gone now, I would never be able to complain. They were there to raise me at my most detrimental age, and for that I would forever be grateful.

"It's not your fault," he muttered as he stared down at our locked hands. "I met the Joker one night when I'd ran out of the house after a big fight with Mike, my step-dad. I should have known better than to be walking the streets of Gotham that late, but I'd just been so frustrated…an emotion the Joker used to his advantage," he said with a dark chuckle. "He'd explained to me that he was looking for some henchmen, that he had big plans for this city and I'd be the perfect person to join his ranks. I was young and gullible, and I honestly believed I was going to be able to finally make something of my life."

"The Joker's a sick and manipulative person. You shouldn't blame yourself for him doing what he does best: warping the minds of the innocent," I said, growing more and more disgusted with the monster as we spoke.

"I was just so stupid," he replied helplessly.

"Even the smartest and most powerful men in this city have been brought under his influence. He just has that infectious attitude that draws you in," I said, speaking sadly from experience. Though he was my kidnapper, there was just something about the Joker that held you captivated, even when he was wielding a knife in your face.

"I definitely learned that the hard way," he said with a sigh before continuing his story. "I waited about three days before I finally got the courage to sneak out again with a duffel bag of stuff and meet up with the Joker. When I showed up, it was Bob, Angela, and two other guys named David and Jamal. Both of them experienced just how unpredictable the Joker can be when he stormed into the warehouse one night and shot them both out of rage."

Though I had never known them, I shook my head sadly at the memory of the two men. I could just picture the Joker storming in and shooting the two unsuspecting men, because he'd done something as unimportant as get gum on the bottom of his shoe.

"By the time I realized this was something I didn't want to be a part of, I was already in too deep to get out. Everything with you just pushed me over the edge, though. You are the exact same age I was when I jumped into this world, completely unaware of what lay ahead of me. I wasn't going to let you suffer the same fate," he revealed sincerely.

"I'll forever be indebted to you for helping me escape that first time, Nick. You have no idea how much that meant to me, even though my freedom was short lived," I said as tears began threatening to fall.

"It was worth the beating," he said with a small smile.

I sighed as I broke eye contact with him, remembering that he had yet to finish the story about Crane. "So what happened next with Crane in the hospital?" I asked curiously.

"After he explained the situation with the mob and other criminals in town wanting to kidnap you, he convinced me to join him in order to make you feel a bit more comfortable here. The thing about Crane is, though he is crazy, he isn't void of all emotion. I told him that I would join him if he would let me have contact with you while you were here," he explained to me. "When he agreed, I told him about Tonic and he went off to go send Penguin and a couple of other men over there to try and get you. Before he did though, I jotted down the street address he told me we'd be staying at, and a little message to lift your spirits a bit. I doubted you'd know it was from me, but it made me feel so much better. I had Crane give it to one of the men who agreed to strategically place it so you'd find it," he revealed.

"When I found it, I first thought it had belonged to someone else, but I just had that gut instinct that told me there was more to it than what was on the surface," I said with a smile, happy to now know the story of the note that was currently located in the room back at Angela's house, nestled safely behind a dresser.

We sat in silence for a minute before I asked the question that had been naturally weighing on my mind.

"How long am I going to be here exactly?" I asked anxiously. It was great to have Nick here, but I still had to keep in mind that I was being held against my will.

He shook his head. "I honestly have no idea. See, the plan was that the Joker was going to go around town searching for you everywhere, and then Scarecrow was going to leave him hints leading him here where we'd sort of…use you as bait."

My face dropped as I realized that I was truly just being used as a little toy.

Nick's hand came up and brushed against my cheek, a touch that I both welcomed and rejected as I turned my head to the side just out of his reach.

"That's why I chose to come here, though. To make sure you were safe during the whole ordeal," he pleaded.

"Safe? How would I be able to be safe when you guys were handing me over to the Joker to regain control of the city? _You_ were intentionally putting me back in the line of fire for _their_ stupid desires," I exclaimed angrily as I pointed to the back of the house where I knew the others were currently located.

"And for that I'm beyond ashamed. I'm just so conflicted," he replied, rubbing a hand over his face stressfully.

"So where do we go from here?" I asked as I threw my arms helplessly in the air. "Since I'm just some stupid belonging that can be thrown around like a rag doll from criminal to criminal, why don't you tell me what the fuck I'm supposed to do now?" I asked angrily, my voice rising with every word.

"I don't know. Nothings worked out the way it was supposed to. The Joker was supposed to have already been here, but as far as we're concerned, he's dropped off the face of the Earth," he replied, clearly growing frustrated.

"We all know that's highly unlikely, though," said a voice from the living room doorway.

I jumped as I looked behind Nick's shoulder and saw Crane smirking at the two of us sitting on the couch. What shocked me was that I had neglected to see or hear him arrive, and wondered just how long he had been listening in on our conversation. My outburst was probably what led him back into the house, unsure of whether or not some sort of a struggle was taking place.

With a sigh, Nick stood up from his seated position, prompting me to do the same and stand behind him as he turned to face Crane.

"Any news?" he inquired.

Crane pushed himself away from the wall with his shoulder and slowly walked into the living room. "Not yet. It seems that the Joker's bidding his time on reclaiming his dear Jessica. Unless of course he's given up entirely," Crane said as he stopped right in front of the two of us, his eyes on me with every word he spoke.

"Now that's highly unlikely," Nick said angrily. "I'm sure he's planning some grand scheme in that notorious Joker style of his."

"All the more fun for us then, don't you two think?" he asked. Though he had a serious expression on his face, his eyes glinted mischievously as if he knew he was making me even angrier than I already was with his reasoning that this was all some fun game. Nick glanced back at me as if he too could feel the animosity seeping through my pores.

"Do you mind if I take her down to the basement this time and stay with her?" Nick asked Crane, sensing that I needed to get away from the horrid man as soon as possible.

"Sure, first we'll give her some dinner, though. I hope you don't mind more fast food goodness," he said with a smile as he turned around and headed to the kitchen.

"Don't worry about him, Jessica. He just wants to get a rise out of you," Nick quietly told me before we too walked into the kitchen.

Instead of a McDonald's cheeseburger, for dinner we were treated to KFC. Once again, I was never a big fan of fast food in my "normal" life, but here it was like a gift from the heavens to be able to eat as much as I wanted of something at an actual table. At dinner I sat between Nick and Crane, while Ford and two other men I didn't know took up the other three seats. Once I was full, I waited for Nick to finish eating before the two of us headed down to the basement at about 7 PM.

For the next couple of hours the two of us discussed an array of topics, jumping from a discussion of our favorite musicians to which criminals were involved in the scheme I had recently found myself a part of. Unlike the last time I had been in this basement with only the cinder blocks to keep me company, time seemed to fly by with Nick, my hero, by my side.

We had just started talking about what exactly we would be doing now if our lives had never been impacted by the Joker when we were startled out of our own little world by the sound of a door being kicked in upstairs.

"What was that?" I asked hurriedly as we both stood up from our seated positions on the floor.

"I don't know, just stay quiet," he whispered as he protectively took a hold of my hand.

There were an abundance of shouts and pounding footsteps coming from above, followed by a loud gunshot that shook me to the core. It was only then that I was able to make out just what was being shouted.

"Gotham Police Department, put your hands up now! Get him on the ground!"

A loud thump was heard above us where the kitchen was located. "The police are here, Nick. Oh my gosh, it's the police," I said excitedly as I gripped his hand tighter.

"It could be a trap, though," he said worriedly.

"Jessica Wayne, if you're here, call out! Jessica, it's the police, and we're here to get you out and take you to safety," a loud voice boomed throughout the house.

"The voice doesn't sound familiar," Nick said more to himself than to me.

"Jessica, It's Commissioner Gordon! Scream so we know where you are!"

My heart began to pound loudly in my chest as that voice truly matched up with the name. "That voice does sound familiar. It really is Gordon," I said looking up at Nick pleadingly. He was beginning to look more convinced that the protection we needed was indeed right about our heads. It suddenly registered in my mind, however, that they wouldn't see Nick as one of my true protectors as I did. "I promise I'll tell them everything and make sure you don't get in any trouble. I won't let you go down with those creeps up there," I assured confidently.

He looked down at me for the first time since the commotion began, his eyes containing only a small glint of hope in them. "I don't think they'd listen, Jessica. I mean, even if they did, I would have to stand trial and risk getting shot right there in the court room by these guys we've been working with," he explained.

"I promise, I won't let anything happen to you, Nick. Not after everything you've done for me. I'm sure we can come up with some sort of plea that will keep you from having to stand trial if that's what this mess leads to," I said.

"Jessica, please make a noise to let us know you're here!" Gordon's voice rang out through the house again. Footsteps could be heard all above us as the police officers no doubt began searching every corner of the residence, surprising me that they had yet to check the basement.

"Please, let's hurry up and go up there," I said pleadingly, starting to drag him towards the staircase.

"Wait," he said, grabbing my arm to stop my movements, "I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, no matter where we end up after this, you won't ever let the Joker get to you."

"Of course I won't, Nick, now let's go," I said, pulling him once again to the staircase only to be stopped once again.

"Promise me," he said seriously, looking me dead in the eye. The energy he was emitting was one so determined that I turned to fully face him, taking both of his hands in my own.

"I promise that as long as I live, I will never, ever, succumb to the Joker's wants. I'll never let myself fall under his spell," I said truthfully.

After staring at me a moment longer, he nodded in acceptance. "Let's get you to safety," he said with a small smile.

I reached up and pecked him on the cheek before the two of us ran up the stairs to the closed door. Nick leaned over and slowly opened the door for me. "Don't make any sudden movements," he whispered into my ear. "We don't want any officers to act rashly."

"Commissioner Gordon!" I called out cautiously as Nick pushed the door all the way open before returning to his spot behind me.

A police officer who was searching the bathroom at the time of my exclamation whipped his head around to look at us. "Commissioner, she's right here!" the man yelled. He was wielding a submachine gun and wearing a SWAT team uniform, making him appear ready for combat.

A set of running footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen before Gordon appeared a few feet away from me down the hallway. A relieved smile came to his face as he ran over and hugged me tightly.

"You, get on the ground!" the officer located in the bathroom exclaimed. Gordon quickly pulled me away from the line of fire as his officer aimed his gun at Nick, who immediately got down on his stomach.

"Wait! He isn't a danger," I yelled over the commotion of two other officers coming out from the bedroom and kneeling down to handcuff him, making sure he wasn't armed. One of the officers pulled out a 9mm handgun out of his pocket before lifting him to his feet, comanding him not to put up a struggle. "He helped me! He's not like the other guys," I pleaded desperately as I turned to Gordon who was looking at me strangely. "He used to work for the Joker, but he helped me escape that first time. Then, the day you got shot at the service, the Joker nearly killed him and left him for dead at the warehouse, but he survived," I said, rushing as quickly as I could through the story.

Another officer came up behind Gordon and surveyed the situation. "Yeah, I remember the rescue squad taking him in after he was found on the top floor of the warehouse, sir," the officer explained.

Gordon continued to stare down at me, thoughts obviously buzzing around in his head. "We'll just take him in for questioning," he finally decided, signaling the two officers restraining him to go outside.

I nodded and turned back to Nick who was handcuffed and being held up by both officers. "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay," I promised as they started to cart him off past us and out the front door.

He simply nodded before they took him out of my line of vision, forcing me to look back to Gordon. "How did you find me?" I asked curiously, shaking slightly as the whole scenario began to set in.

"An anonymous tip came in from someone saying they live in this neighborhood. They were suspicious about the new neighbors from the get go, and then one day they saw Dr. Crane carrying a young girl, you, into the house the day Gotham General Hospital exploded," he explained.

"So he actually went through with it?" I asked, astonished that the same hospital I had been in days before was blown up just minutes after I'd been drugged and swept away by Crane.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said as he began to walk towards the front door. "We managed to get everyone out safely, though," he explained, though I felt as if there was something he wasn't telling me.

Red and blue lights could be seen coming from every direction, sirens echoing around the entire neighborhood. Families stood outside of their houses, old and young couples alike, as they surveyed the scene before them. Small children were peering from behind their mother's legs all clad in their pajamas as they watched in awe at the excitement. There had to be at least twenty cop cars lining the otherwise quiet Harrison Street, the focus surrounding the unsuspecting house located at number 256. Many of the officers ceased their side conversations as I stepped out of the house, turning to look at the spectacle that was Jessica Wayne.

Maybe this was what my life was always going to be like. The stares and whispers, the curiosity that would surround just what had happened to me when I was not only kidnapped by the Joker, but Scarecrow as well. I would live the rest of my life fighting off sick rumors and lies that would always circulate my formerly average existence.

I felt Gordon's arm circle around my shoulders as we stepped down the path, reassuring me that though those rumors would circulate and those lies would be discussed, I would always have people who cared about me.

As we walked down the concrete path towards the street, I looked to my right to see Crane seated in the back of the cop car. When he felt my eyes on him, he looked up at me and smirked, pointing at all of the fuss surrounding us with his cuffed hands. It was amazing how he could still make time to taunt me even when he was at his most vulnerable. I shook my head at him and looked at the car in front his, which was holding Ford who looked awfully uncomfortable with his large build scrunched into the backseat of the cruiser. I desperately searched the area for Nick, eventually finding him talking to the two officers who had escorted him out of the house.

I hadn't noticed that Gordon and I were now standing outside of an ambulance until a rather hyper female paramedic began questioning.

"Oh, you poor thing," she said, causing me to divert my focus from Nick to her. She was a petite woman about an inch shorter than me with blonde hair up in a loose ponytail. "My whole family's been following your story from the very beginning, and I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this. It's just sick what that monster did to you," she said as she brushed my hair back behind my shoulders, checking for any visible injuries.

Gordon interrupted her and asked, "Do you have any cuts or bruises, any wounds you need treated?"

"No, nothing happened this time," I explained, telling him about how Crane had fed me and allowed me to take a shower. The Commissioner appeared just as puzzled as I had been at this declaration, but nodded nonetheless. "If you're sure you don't need any medicine or fixing up, I'm going to go ahead and take you downtown to the police station," he said.

"Is that really necessary after everything she's been through, sir?" the woman asked, digging in her kit for something as she spoke.

"Yes, Maria, we need to ask her some questions," he said as he looked at me, shaking his head at the blunt woman's inquisition.

"Well, alright, but let me just give her this…" she said, trailing off until she found what she was looking for. "Aha!" she exclaimed. "Take this sweetie, it'll make you feel better," she said as she handed me a red lollipop.

I smiled at her as I took the treat she was offering. "Thank you so much," I said before Gordon led me in the direction of a black car. He opened the passenger door for me as I slid in, gazing down at the red lollipop I was twirling between my fingers. It had been such an innocent gesture I couldn't help but feel a slight uplifting in my heart as Gordon climbed into the driver's seat, the doors automatically locking as he started the engine.

As we swerved around all of the cop cars and began heading into the heart of the city, I slowly unwrapped the candy and popped it into my mouth, savoring the sweet cherry taste that was most likely staining my tongue red.

There was a comfortable silence in the car all the way to the police station, with Gordon only commenting on the fact that he wished Maria would have given him a lollipop, too, causing me to chuckle at his childish pout.

When we pulled up to the building, parking in Gordon's designated space, we both stepped out of the car and walked into the busy area that is found in almost every big city's police station. A few heads turned to stare at us as we walked in, but nothing nearly as embarrassing as what occurred at the house. Here, most of the officers were on the phone, furiously scribbling information onto notepads.

"Jessica," I heard a voice say above the noise. I turned around and met the amber eyes that only belonged to one person. Tears came to my eyes as I ran over and jumped into Bruce's strong arms, feeling safer than I had ever felt. When he put me back on my feet, he looked down at me, appearing to be on the verge of tears himself. "I never should have left that hospital," he said. "I have so much to tell you. You've deserved to know so much for so long, and I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark about my life," he said quietly so only I could hear, letting out a sigh after his confession.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, Bruce. I'm just glad to finally be going safe again," I said as I wrapped my arms around his torso, leaning into him as he wrapped his around my shoulders.

"No, tonight I'm going to sit down and tell you everything," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I nodded, still not sure what he could possibly have to reveal to me about his life. I had a hunch, though, that it had something to do with his constant sneaking out when we lived in the manor at the beginning of my time here.

"Hello Mr. Wayne," came Gordon's voice from behind me. I turned around, Bruce's arm still wrapped protectively over my shoulder.

"Commissioner," Bruce said with the nod of his head. "I can't thank you enough for all you've done on this case. I'll pay you any amount of money you want for finding Jess," he said.

"That won't be at all necessary, Bruce. All of us here in the department have worked on this case solely for the reward of bringing Jessica home," he responded. "By the way, you dropped your lollipop on the floor back there, so I took the liberty of just tossing it in the trash can," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, sorry about that," I said, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"No problem, but if you don't mind, Bruce, we want to go ahead and question her now so she can go home tonight," said Gordon.

"Of course, I'll wait out here, alright?" he told me, once again kissing the top of my head before letting me walk off with Gordon.

As we walked across the floor towards Gordon's private office, I felt a pair of eyes on me that sent shivers down my spine. After glancing around the room and finding nothing but officers working diligently, I shook the feeling off and stepped into the Commissioner's quarters. Before he closed the door, I decided to take one more look at the hectic scene, fascinated by the workings of the department that protected Gotham. As soon as I looked out, I found myself staring into a pair of familiar black orbs right before the door was slammed shut.


	29. The Syndrome

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviewed, including all of my new reviewers/subscribers: twiliknight, Lady Archer123, Chaotic Heart, aislinn aira, Aaron F., devon f, derrick p, Mehovik, lordofthebreakdance, Ren Sarine, Volcanic Monsoon, SaraSyco, and Alec Ramsey. Replies to anonymous reviewers will be at the bottom. Towards the end of this chapter, I want you all to know that I was continuously listening to love songs on youtube, which is the cause for the scene. The Joker makes his long awaited return in this chapter, so I'll let you all get to it!**

**SEQUEL INFORMATION: I've posted a poll on my profile page (located at the top, right below my name) regarding whether or not you readers are interested in me writing a sequel to this story, so please take a second and head over to vote. I won't know if you don't tell me :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman characters. I do own all original characters and plot.**

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My eyes widened as I stared blankly at the door, a cold dread filling every inch of my body. Those eyes were unmistakable, unique only to the person who had tormented me beyond belief. They had haunted my dreams and thoughts every day since that first encounter in the parking garage all those months ago. I was forced to stare into them countless times as he pressed the cold blade of a knife against my cheek, forever scaring me in a way that seemed far worse than physically. No, there was no mistaking them.

But that was impossible, was it not? How would he have been able to weasel himself into the very facility that was working so hard to catch him? Of course, such rules never applied to the Joker for he was able to disregard the established order so easily.

"Jessica, are you alright?" asked a concerned Gordon who was now standing beside me, gazing down at me worriedly.

I shook my head to try and forget what I saw, blaming it on paranoia. "Yeah," I said flashing him a small smile, "I just got lost in my thoughts for a second there."

"I've been seeming to do that a lot lately, too," he said as he put his hand on the small of my back, guiding me over to the seat I'd taken before. I sat down and made myself comfortable as he took a seat across from me on the other side of the desk. "I hate that this has to seem so formal," he apologized, gathering up papers and stuffing them quickly into a drawer before settling back in his chair with a pad and pen in his hands.

"I understand," I said honestly. "I just want this all to be over with."

"You and I both," he said with a sigh, pausing as he seemed to think something over in his head as he silently studied me. "I want to be as honest with you as possible during this conversation, and I'm sure Bruce would agree with me when I say you deserve to know everything we obtained evidence wise throughout this case."

"For a long time I didn't want to know anything," I revealed. "I wasn't ready to hear the truth. Even just earlier today when I was faced with it I blocked it out, not wanting to put myself in that position."

"Ignorance most certainly is bliss," Gordon said, nodding in agreement at my reasoning.

"Yeah, it is. But," I began, taking a deep breath before I sealed my fate, "I'm ready to hear the truth. I want to know everything." Though I sounded a little unsure of myself, deep down I knew I was as prepared as I was ever going to be to hear the motive. I would never be able to start healing from this ordeal if I didn't know all of the facts, living in lies and doubt the rest of my life without the whole story.

"I know you're ready," Gordon said confidently, leaning forward on his desk and taking his glasses off. He pinched the bridge of his nose before replacing his spectacles and re-opening the drawer he had just stashed the pile of papers in, pulling them back out and sitting them on the desk between us. "Here is all of the information we found from a variety of sources. Some are from the Reston City Hall, the warehouse the Joker used when he first captured you, interviews with eyewitnesses and psychologists," he said, waving his hand lazily in the air to indicate there were many more sources beyond that.

I nodded, looking down at a manila folder that stuck out among the various paper clipped documents arranged in a sloppy pile. Gordon followed my line of sight as he picked up the folder and handed it to me silently. I looked at him for a moment before taking it off his hands and slowly opening the file.

The first thing I saw was a cover letter with "Reston City Hall: Visitor Information Document" as the header. What followed was a long list of documents Bruce supposedly obtained from my hometown's city hall about two months before my move to Gotham. I flipped the first page over as the documents continued onto a second. From crime and medical records to my birth certificate, and real estate information to tax concerns, it seemed that every aspect of my family's life in Reston was on display in this simple manila folder.

"Why did Bruce get all of this stuff?"I asked, finally taking me eyes away from the papers, my jaw slightly dropped in confusion.

"That's where things get tricky: he didn't," said Gordon.

"But my dad signed off at the bottom of both pages," I said, looking at the slightly curvy signature that could only belong to my father. It was the same signature that had been used to sign by progress reports and excuse notes, my field trip permission slips and failed test papers.

"Based on the eye witness account of the receptionist who attended to your father, we concluded that it was indeed the Joker who was with him the day these documents were taken," Gordon revealed cautiously, seemingly wanting to break the news as gently as possible.

My reoccurring dream of the night my parents died suddenly flashed into my mind, my mom desperately pleading for my dad to not allow _him_ to control their lives any longer. When Angela had told me her side of the story, I of course was able to concur that the Joker had been disrupting my parents' life for a period of time before their deaths; now, however, I was able to catch a glimpse of just how intense that disruption had been. I cringed as I realized there had been physical contact between my dad and that monster, and couldn't even allow my mind to drift to the possibility that he may have spoken one-on-one with my mom as well. I wasn't too shocked when a small plop on the white piece of paper revealed that I was now crying.

"She stated that your dad looked a little on edge, but that he remained relatively normal and calm when he signed the waiver before she showed them both the database on the computer and allowed them to print off whichever documents they'd like. There were some restrictions, of course, but the Joker seemed to be able to get all of the information he wanted," he explained further.

"Why?" I asked myself more than Gordon. "Why would he need any of this stuff?"

"I wasn't able to figure that one out, so I began contacting the professionals from Arkham," he said, picking up a stack of clasped papers. I closed the manila folder and, after placing it on the table, took the thick pile from him. "We had one of his many former therapists come in and try to analyze just what might have happened to draw him to you. With the help of him and some of my brightest officers, we came up with a timeline that involved the Joker learning that Bruce Wayne had relatives in a reasonably close distance from Gotham. We figured that since your godfather is such a prominent figure, as was your father, he wanted to use your family as a sort of…example if you will in his quest for anarchy. His former therapist revealed to us that he was unable to diagnose the Joker during his short stay at the asylum, stating that he was far too cryptic and scattered, jumping from topic to topic, but there was absolutely no doubt that he was crazy, as we all very well know," said Gordon.

I listened closely as I flipped through the papers, gathering that they were the case studies conducted with the Joker as the primary subject. When I came to a page with a picture of his mugshot, I stopped and stared, once again gazing into those dark, cold eyes that seemed to look right into my soul even up from the pages.

"When he arrived in Reston, we can only guess that he tracked down your address through public record at the library and began following your parents. Somehow, though, you got caught in the crossfire, and that's where the water gets murky," he said desperately.

"You mean he was watching us?" I asked, a shiver going down my spine as I pictured him sneaking around our house, maybe even finding a way to break in at some point in time when we weren't home.

"We believe so, yes," Gordon said sadly. "What we don't know is why he decided to direct his attention to you. It might have been vulnerability, seeing you as an easy target. Or, the therapist brought up the idea that he saw something in you that reminded him of himself."

"I'm nothing like him," I said defensively, memories of his cryptic messages about us being the same coming to the forefront of my mind.

"Of course not, but on a psychological level the Joker isn't like you or me. He has a warped sense of emotion and thought, in turn causing him to act out in a different way," Gordon explained.

I nodded, allowing that truth to become my reasoning for his rash actions towards me, though the range of emotions that caused him to act in such a manner remained unknown.

"What other eyewitness accounts did you get?" I asked curiously.

Gordon searched the papers before pulling out a short stack in the middle of the pile, handing them over to me. "We spoke to people who saw the interaction between the two of you at Harvey Dent's fundraiser, as well as citizens who were at Gotham City Bank the day he robbed it," he explained as I flipped through the papers detailing interviews with the witnesses. "An outstanding number from the bank recalled him constantly looking back at you during the robbery. Though this could have been to ensure that you weren't trying to escape, we were relieved when we learned a doctor from Arkham was one of the witnesses. He agreed to be interviewed, and stated that, from what he saw, the interaction crossed all regular boundaries in terms of when a kidnapper and the victim is involved. The doctor explained that the Joker's posture changed slightly when near you, turning his whole body to face you. I'm not sure if you know anything about the study of body language, but that generally reveals a bond or focus that is solely for that individual. By subconsciously leaning in towards you and pointing his whole body in your direction, he revealed far more than what the untrained eye would pick up on."

"But he always did that," I explained. "It was a way for him to torment me, scare me into submission."

"That was one of the things the officer who was questioning him brought up, so he requested that he go into more detail about other observations. The doctor began talking about facial expressions. He stated that when speaking to the hostages, he maintained an unpredictable and uncaring behavior, yelling and running amuck. But when he turned to you, his entire demeanor would change. Of course, it's hard to tell just what goes through the Joker's mind at any given moment, his sociopathic tendencies making him the prime experiment for therapists everywhere. The doctor said the best way to explain the look he gave you was…concern," Gordon said, sounding just as baffled as I felt.

It was then that a sudden knock came at the door. Gordon looked at me sadly before he called out, "Come in."

"Commissioner Gordon, we have that information on the Maroni car at the dockyards," said a young cop who looked to be about thirty.

"Thank you, Adams," Gordon said with the nod of his head, prompting the officer to close the door.

"What happened with Maroni?" I asked hesitantly, remembering the mobster's name from the night club.

"We found his car crashed over at the dockyard yesterday. His driver had been shot in the back of the head," Gordon explained. "All of these mob leaders have been going crazy with the Joker's antics. This city is in bad shape," he said sadly.

"With you as Commissioner it can only get better," I said encouragingly, though it was only half-hearted as everything that Gordon had revealed to me about the Joker weighed heavily on my mind. "D-do you mind if I take these interviews?" I asked. "I just want to have a chance to look at them all."

"Of course you can. We make copies of all documents, so you can keep those," he said with a small smile. "Do you have any questions? Anything you want to talk about?"

I sighed, looking down at the documents as I ran my fingers along the edges. "I'm sure I will in time," I replied, "but I think I've heard all I can for one night."

"That's more than fair enough," Gordon said as he rose from his seat. "It's amazing how quickly a job like this can age you, and I know you've grown up a lot in the time since this has all started. I just want you to know that no matter how much evil you've witnessed, Jessica, there's still plenty of good out there," he said as he opened the door to his office, me having stood up and already begun following him out. "You have so many opportunities awaiting you out there, and the true crime would be for you to risk all of that because of this. Allow it to make you stronger, not weaker," Gordon said.

"I'll do my best. Thank you for everything," I said as I gave him a hug, feeling true gratitude to this wonderful man.

"You're most certainly welcome," he said.

"Are you ready?" Bruce asked from behind us, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, I explained as much as she wanted to hear tonight about the investigation," Gordon informed him.

Bruce nodded, glancing down at me with concern, before putting his arm around me. "Once again, thank you for everything, Gordon," he said as two of the strongest men I had ever met in my life shook hands.

"We've ordered an officer to follow you around for the rest of the night, and he'll stay stationed outside of your building all night to make sure nothing happens," he explained before we parted ways, Bruce and I finally heading out of the building and into the night of Gotham.

"Gosh, it feels so good to be able to walk around freely," I said as we headed to the car.

"It feels good to have you back," said Bruce as he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in, taking a deep breath as the smell of leather seats and expensive cologne filled my nostrils. It smelled so much like Bruce that I couldn't help but smile as I rested my head back on the headrest. As I looked out the window I saw a cop car sitting, presumably waiting for us to pull away from the curb so he could fulfill his job of following us around. Though it was too dark to see through the window, I could feel his gaze on me. Slightly unsettled, I turned to watch Bruce climb into the car and start the powerful engine of his Lamborghini.

"I can't believe you drive around the city in this thing," I said teasingly.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he pulled away from the curb, causing me to nearly be thrown from my seat. I quickly reached over and buckled my seatbelt not wanting to be ejected from the car through the windshield. "Where else would I drive it?"

"I don't know, it's just so…glamorous. It looks like it should be in a car show rather than on the street," I said with a smirk, though a part of my questioning was sincere.

I turned my head to watch Bruce shake his head. "It's amazing that the first thing you do is start to pick on me," he said seriously, faking offense. After a moment, he looked over at me to reveal a smile. "And I absolutely love that about you."

I smiled up at him, relieved that, so far, I was able to keep Nick's promise: I hadn't allowed the Joker to take over.

After leaving the station, Bruce took me home, giving me time to change and safely deposit the interviews Gordon had allowed me to keep in a drawer before taking me out to a nice restaurant. At first he elected that we just stay home, figuring I would be too exhausted or traumatized to go out, but I was the exact opposite. Sitting at home and dwelling on everything that had happened would make matters far worse in my mind. While Bruce and I ate, I waited for him to reveal the deep, dark secret he had informed me about back at the station. Never one to fake patience, I decided to inquire him on the matter.

"So, what were you talking about back at the station?" I asked before taking a bite of my medium rare steak.

He looked up at me before placing his fork down and wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I can't tell you about all of it here, but I can give you the story behind it," he said before taking a drink of his ginger ale in a champagne glass. Bruce was never a big drinker, even when in a social environment.

"Take your time," I told him as I took the last bite of my steak before placing my fork on the plate, more than eager to hear his reveal.

"The night my parents died, every childhood emotion and thought disappeared. I found myself faced with something so dark and terrifying that I could no longer believe the lies adults had told me. Lies that insinuated there was nothing to fear out there, no such things as monsters. During this time in my life, Alfred was the one person who stepped in and took care of me, taking the initiative of ensuring I didn't get thrown to social services. Even though I'll always be grateful for what he did, I still felt unfulfilled with life, and needed to get away and explore the world. As I'm sure you already know, when I was a teenager I made it my mission to travel the world, and focus on perfecting my intellect and physical training. At first I thought I'd go into the FBI to utilize all of my training, but I knew I would be restrained. I would be unable to fight crime the way I see fit. At twenty five I returned to Gotham and went back to work at Wayne Enterprises in the Applied Sciences department. It was here that I started truly cultivating the essentials I would need to make it," he said.

"Make it as what?" I asked, not realizing I was leaning forward on my elbows, captivated by his story.

His eyes bore into my own as if he was trying to telepathically relay the message to me. "While traveling the world I found what it was I faced the night my parents were killed in that alley. It's something that lives in the darkness, not stopping until it gets revenge on the scum of the world…me."

My eyes widened as his words sunk it, their meaning now all too clear; the late nightly leavings that brought on marks and bruises the next day, the want for revenge on the criminals who had murdered his parents. Batman. Bruce was Batman.

I mouthed the name to him, not wanting to draw attention to our table at the mention of the masked vigilante, nor sure if my dry throat would fail in my attempt at speaking. He nodded, still giving me that intense stare. I slowly sat back in my chair, a blank expression on my face as I contemplated this secret he'd been harboring for about a year.

"How many people know?" I asked breathlessly.

"Four," he said automatically, "Alfred, Lucius Fox, Commissioner Gordon, and…Rachel knew as well."

I nodded, noticing how hard it was for him to even mention Rachel after her passing. I felt a lurch in my heart as I recalled the last time I'd seen her, desperately crying across the hectic crowd after the interrupted funeral service for former Commissioner Loeb. The feelings Bruce felt for her had always been obvious, which explained why he had felt so indifferent to Harvey Dent on a personal level.

"Wow, Bruce, just…wow," I said simply, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. A sudden thought came to my mind. "So, you d-don't think the Joker knows do you?"

Bruce sat back in his chair slightly, one arm still lying lazily on the table. "That was the first thing that came to my mind in terms of a motive, but there's no way he could know. I talked it through with Gordon, and he agrees that the Joker taking you is far more complicated than him knowing that," he said, taking his eyes off of me for the first time since the conversation started.

"Yeah, he was explaining everything to me back at the station," I said quietly, marking the end of our talk.

Silence came over the table as the two of us finished our desserts before heading outside.

"Bruce!" a voice called from down the street. A car door slammed as we both simultaneously looked to our left and saw Gordon jogging over to us. "Bruce, some information just came in from Arkham that I think you'll want to hear. I need you to come down to the station," he said glancing over at me after he spoke.

"It's alright, Gordon, I told her everything," he said reassuringly.

"Oh, well that's good," Gordon said, relief crossing over his face. "I'm sorry to pull you away now that you two are reunited, but…" he trailed off.

"No, I told you to keep me updated. There's been talk of corruption over at Arkham, with the criminals becoming more and more confident in their power as of late," Bruce informed me.

"My officer can take her home if you want. It's important that we get back to the station fast," he said hurriedly.

Bruce looked over at the cruiser that was parked right behind his precious sports car. "Who is it?"

"Sergeant Collins – he's been working on the force for about five years, now. Great cop," he assured.

Bruce looked down at me. "I'll call Alfred and tell him to wait outside for you. There are security guards at the building, and they'll make sure you get up to the penthouse safely."

I nodded, but I felt a sense of uneasiness shiver through my bones as I glanced over at the cruiser, once again feeling the officer watching me. "Okay, I'll be fine."

Now beside the cop car, I hugged Bruce goodbye as he opened up the back door for me. "Take her straight to the penthouse, no stops or pickups," Gordon informed the officer who responded with the simple wave of his hand and a, "Yes, sir."

"I'll be home as soon as I can, alright?" Bruce assured me.

"Take your time," I said with a small smile.

As soon as Bruce shut the door, the cruiser pulled away from the curb, screeching the tires as he did so. I looked back out my window helplessly as Bruce and Gordon got farther and farther away. When they were nothing more but specks amongst the crowd, I turned to look forward.

Due to the darkness in the car and the metal barrier between myself and the officer, I was unable to see any of his physical features. Along with my preconditioned uncertainty stood an uncomfortable silence in the car that had a foreboding air to it.

"So you're Jessica Wayne, huh?"

I jumped at the sound of the man's voice, which contained a hint of strain to it. "Yeah," I said clearing my throat slightly.

"Pretty tough ordeal you went through," he said. I noticed there didn't seem to be too much compassion in his voice, which threw me for a loop.

"Yeah, it was pretty tough," I said, growing more suspicious of this man by the second. "Commissioner Gordon said you've been on the force for five years, right?"

"Oh, something like that. All of the time seems to crumble together after awhile," he said as he made a sharp right.

I nodded as I righted myself once again in my seat. "I know what you mean. Have you heard anything about the Joker, yet?" I asked curiously.

"No word on him so far. Maybe he just poof, dropped off the face of the Earth," he said with a small chuckle.

"I don't think we're that lucky," I said simply.

I cringed as the officer's hand tightened dangerously around the wheel. As we passed under a streetlight, I saw his knuckles were now pure white. A shiver went down my spine as he chuckled again, this time with a dark undertone to it.

"Gordon told me about the investigation that went on while I was kidnapped; were you a part of the team?" I asked.

"Oh, you could say something like that."

When we passed under another streetlight, I looked into the rear view mirror to see the same pair of black eyes from the police station staring back at me – the same eyes from my nightmares.

My breath hitched in my throat as I reached over to the door and tried to pry it open in vain.

"See, the one thing the police did right was make their back doors unable to be opened from the inside-_ah_," he said, letting out that cold laugh that chilled me to the core, the unmistakable voice of the Joker now overtaking the fake one he had been using as Sergeant Collins.

The next thing I felt was an intense pain in my head as it was bashed into the barrier when he slammed on the brakes. I vaguely heard a car door open and slam shut. Looking through the back window, my hand now clutching my head, I saw the slightly hunched over figure in a police uniform make his way around the car to my door. In one frantic motion, I moved over to the other side of the back seat as he opened my door. I felt a hand with superhuman strength wrap around my ankle as I was dragged across the seat in a flash.

"Get off of me!" I screamed desperately.

"Don't be stubborn, honey. It's time to go back home," he said as I was yanked out of the car, my head narrowly missing yet another collision.

My vision was slightly blurry from the natural tears that came to my eyes when I'd hit my head seconds prior, but there was no mistaking the scars. They were currently covered with a powdered concealer, but were still visible this close up.

A smile shot across his face as he looked down at me, gripping me tightly by the shoulders to hold me in place. "Miss me?"

I immediately began to struggle, kicking and screaming as I desperately yelled for help.

"Somebody help her, help her!" the Joker yelled frantically before he began to laugh hysterically, causing me to cease struggling. "We're in the middle of a dark alleyway in Gotham. No one's coming to save you," he replied, turning suddenly serious at the end of his declaration.

"Why are you doing this?" I pleaded, too frustrated to even cry at this point.

He removed his right hand from my left shoulder and began to caress my cheek gently. "Because I just missed you too much," he said quietly, some of the darkness leaving his eyes as he gazed down at me. I felt a lurch in my heart at the look he was giving me, unable to control the feeling that was arising in the pit of my stomach. This was not good.

I watched helplessly as he crossed the few inches still remaining between our faces, brushing his lips lightly against mine. He pulled away a few centimeters as he continued to gaze at me, a look of confusion now on his face. My brain no longer in control, I slowly raised my hand and placed it on his scarred cheek, watching as his head tilted towards my touch.

"You don't have to do this anymore," I said softly. "This can all end right here, right now, and we can go on with our separate lives," I said, my voice breaking at the end.

He closed his eyes, his eyebrows scrunched up in such a humanly way that for a moment, this felt normal. A picture of the two of us leaning up against his car as we said goodnight to one another after a long night flashed through my mind. Just a young couple, two star crossed lovers, who were faced with the difficult situation of choosing to run away together or face this dark world alone. When he opened his eyes again, the picture was immediately wiped away. His head moved away from my hand, and I moved it back to my side where it hung limply.

"No, no, it's too late for that," he said so quietly I barely heard it. "See, Jess, you just drive me crazy," he said, that slight glint of hope leaving his eyes, turning them colder than I'd ever seen them before.

Before I knew what was happening, his hands had wrapped tightly around my throat and pushed me back into the car. I let out a chocking noise as I desperately tried to gasp for air, my hands wrapping desperately around his muscular forearms.

"You do this to me," he said furiously, sounding so demonic I wished he would just kill me right then and there.

"I-I…" was all I was able to let out as my vision began going black. Just as I was getting ready to teeter onto the downhill side of darkness, I felt his hands leave my neck, causing me to fall to the ground in a coughing spree. My lungs urgently tried to take in air as I rubbed the sore area on my neck where his hands had been.

The Joker's hand grabbed underneath my arm and lifted me up off the ground as a pair of headlights brightened up the dim alley. I squinted as my eyes tried to adjust to the brilliant light. Brakes squealed as what I now saw to be the white van came to a halt. The Joker began to pull me towards the vehicle, lifting me up into the backseat when we got to the opened door on the side. I moved as quickly as I could to the middle where, to my left, sat Angela. I felt the Joker slide in beside me before he slammed the door shut, signaling Bob to zoom out of the alley at top speed.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence again," said Angela with a smirk.

I didn't respond as I continued to rub my hand over my throat to try and soothe the pain away, already knowing a bruise was going to form. My breathing was less sporadic now, but it was beginning to hurt every time I breathed in.

My mind clearing, a shocked expression came upon my face as I recalled what had just occurred. What in the world had possessed me to touch his face? And what was that feeling that kicked me in the gut when he'd gazed down at me with that look on his face, that small speck of green in his eyes gloriously shining?

I unexpectedly gasped as I realized what I had just thought, causing Angela to jump slightly and look at me strangely.

"Is she alright?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"She'll be fine," the Joker growled dangerously.

I searched my mind for what could have possibly caused me to act in such a way towards this monster beside me, cursing it for ceasing to work when I needed it most.

My neck now growing sore from rubbing it so much, I absentmindedly placed it onto my lap to continue the quest through my mind for an answer. I was shaken out of my thoughts when, two seconds later, I felt the Joker grasp my hand with his own, interlacing our fingers together.

It was in that moment I realized why my brain had ceased working when I needed it most.

My heart had taken over.

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**I finally got a bit mushy in the story, which I know a lot of you are going to be happy about hehe. Please remember to review!**

**Replies to Anonymous Reviewers with Questions:**

**Me and Gaara 4ever - I think this chapter answers a part of that question, but one can't forget that the Joker is a psychopath. In the sequel their relationship will be expanded on far more than in this story :)**

**Lilly - Thank you so much! I have to get my wisdom teeth out as well, which I'm dreading :/ About your question regarding the lollipop scene in the last chapter, that was simply an innocent gesture on the part of the paramedic. I wanted to lighten the mood slightly and bring in a lovable character, even though her part was short lived. Like you said, though, I could have made that into a more menacing action, but that wasn't my intention in this case. **


	30. All the Same

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone for being so patient while waiting for this chapter, and a special thanks goes to EdwardHasMyHeart for messaging and forcing me to get my butt back into gear haha. Once again, I've listed the ever growing list of new reviewers/subscribers at the bottom of the page since it would just take up too much room here at the top. There are only two chapters left in this story, but due to the overwhelming number of voters on my poll a sequel is in store for all of you loyal readers! I won't keep you any longer. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any original Batman characters or locations. I DO own the plot and all original characters and locations, and to use them without my permission is prohibited. **

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Driving to the outer banks of Gotham, I had the foreboding feeling that something horrible was about to happen. We'd only been driving for about ten minutes, but in that short amount of time, I'd already gathered through conversation that I was about to be thrown into the middle of what could be described as no less than a war.

"Everything's in place, boss," Cole stated from the front seat as he shut his cell phone. "Citizens on one ferry, prisoners on the other." There was a hint of amusement in his voice at the declaration, but the emotion I mostly picked up on was fear. It was hiding underneath the front he and the others put up in order to not show complete weakness in front of their leader. To show emotion would put them in immediate danger, but there was no denying one vital factor: they were human. Though they were in fact considered my captors, I couldn't help but feel a strange bond to the three individuals who aimlessly followed around the true criminal in this car. I'd seen them at their worst, robbing a bank in broad daylight and pointing guns at innocent civilians; but then again, I'd seen them fight for me in a desolate night club, watching myself as if in an out of body experience knock a man out to ensure Cole's safety. It was fascinating what the human mind was capable of. Frightening, yes, yet fascinating all the same.

"Good, good," the Joker said from beside me, his fingers still laced with my own. "The barrels are gonna blow sky high tonight," he said joyously.

Looking through the front windshield, the water of Gotham Harborshimmered into view, and a look of confusion came across my face. _Citizens on one ferry, prisoners on the other._

There was no doubt in my mind that in light of the Joker's tightening grip on the city people all over Gotham were looking for an escape. What better way than through the ferry system? Most were probably heading to Metropolis where they would be able to take up a fresh residence and start anew in an industrious city that didn't have Joker equivalents running amuck.

"What are you going to do?" I asked quietly, still gazing at the nearing body of water, the lights from two large ferries waiting on opposite ports now in view.

"Well, while you and Brucey were living it up in that fancy little restaurant, the rest of Gotham was going crazy with worry about what I'm going to do next. See, they're all too frightened to sit it out, so they run around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. There's really no difference between the two either – they're all going to drop dead soon enough," the Joker said in my ear, his lips brushing against my lobe every once in a while. The dark chuckle that emitted from his lips caused a slight vibration and sent a shiver down my spine.

The light that shined off of the water quickly disappeared as Bob turned right into a dark alley, making his way around a tall building before coming to a stop behind it.

"Pruitt Building, boss," Bob said in that characteristically deep voice of his. "The others are across the street already with the hostages."

"Hostages? I didn't know anything about hostages," Angela stated loudly, the sudden boisterous declaration causing me to jump.

"That doesn't surprise me any," Cole retorted with a sigh as the two men up front stepped out of the car.

"You stupid ass-"

"Don't. Start," the Joker growled furiously, cutting Angela off before she could really let Cole have it. The grip on my hand suddenly tightened and I could feel the circulation being cut off, my bones constricting as his fingers sunk into my skin. My soft whimper was drowned out by the opening of both the Joker and Angela's doors as I was now yanked out of the car by that dangerous grip.

I was pulled around the back of the van just in time to see the hatchback being lifted. With the space now visible to me, my eyes widened as an unbelievable amount of ammunition was revealed. "This is what was left over after the ferries were loaded," Bob explained. "Every barrel is packed to the limit, just like you said to do."

If this was what was left over, I couldn't even begin to imagine how much was on those ferries, nor did I want to find out. I was shaken out of my awe-like state by two arms wrapping around my waist. "I'm going to go get back into my attire while the little chick-e-dees are guided to their deaths. If you try and get away, I've given specific orders for you to be shot _down_. Do you understand?"

With my breathing now ragged, I slowly nodded submissively – a state I hated being forced into no matter the circumstances. I had grown so tired of being pushed around that I had virtually become numb to such ordeals.

"Ah, that's a good girl," the Joker stated huskily, pulling me tight against his body one last time before storming off into the building with Bob.

Wrapping my arms around my body, I turned around to face Angela and Cole, the latter of the two now talking on the phone with someone.

"Yeah, we just got here about two minutes ago…No, not yet…Just make sure you don't go crazy when the cops show up, understand?...Yeah, alright…Bye."

I watched with slightly clouded eyes as he shut his phone and turned to Angela, now looking more frazzled than ever. "I got a bad feeling about this one, girl. So does Bob," he revealed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You guys always have bad feelings. Why can't you just trust him, huh? I think by now he knows what he's doing," Angela stated confidently, going as far as to announce her nonchalant attitude by checking her nails.

"No, Angela, that's where you're wrong. He doesn't know what he's doing, because that's the point: he simply doesn't care. He's never cared! Sometimes I think he's completely gone over the edge, but then other times he seems like a freakin' genius. I guess he'd have to be to act that crazy to be honest." He paused for a few long, agonizing seconds. I silently hoped that he would continue speaking, one, to distract me from this situation, and, two, because it was intriguing to see his perception of the Joker. Rather than continuing, however, he simply shook his head and walked into the building the other two had previously entered.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked, breaking the silence that had formed between me and Angela. My voice sounded completely flat, hopelessness now completely set in.

"You heard the boss, we're gonna blow up the ferries. The plan is that one of them will blow the other up on their own in order to save their own butts. I actually have my vote on the civilians," she said with a smirk.

"How can you say that?" I asked, now completely astounded and no longer afraid to show it. "Those are people on those ferries. People, Angela. And you have the audacity to stand there and joke around about their deaths?" My voice had raised at least two octaves by the end of my little rant, but I didn't care. I felt I had nothing left to hold me back, no more fears or inhibitions that would stop me from finally voicing my opinion.

Angela looked astounded by my outburst to say the least. "Now you listen here, I didn't plan this you know. I'm just along for the ride-"

"Is that your reasoning? There is no excuse for you to be doing this, Angela. You have a whole future ahead of you, but you're wasting it by following around a man who will only lead you to your own destruction."

"Oh, well that's rich coming from you. Why don't you take a look in the mirror. I saw you two in the car. I may not be the brightest light bulb in the bunch, but I'm not blind," she exclaimed, taking a step closer to me.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"Like you don't know. I could see through you this entire time, and the little innocent act you've been putting on is starting to dwindle away," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now you've completely lost your mind-"

"Have I? What, with you two holding hands in there and cuddling up next to each other, you can honestly look me in the eyes and tell there's nothing going on?"

"You can't be serious," I whispered in disbelief. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been kidnapped! Held here against my will!" I yelled angrily, taking a step closer to her in turn.

"That was the story in the beginning, yes. But I can see it in your eyes, Jessica. You're changing," she said as she took another step closer, lowering her voice as she did so. "You're falling under that spell of his, and you know the sick thing: he's falling under yours, too," she stated, her voice cracking on the last note. Her eyes filled with tears as she continued to glare down at me through squinted eyes, and for the first time since we began this argument I saw that small, helpless child all over again.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but that's not the way I perceive it at all," I said more calmly, though still standing my ground on the matter.

We were still staring at each other when the sound of a door opening and slamming into the wall behind it jarred us. I didn't even have time to turn around before I felt a tight grip on my arm pull me back and a tall form take my spot in front of Angela, placing a barrier between the two of us.

"Is there a problem here?" the Joker asked menacingly as he glared down at Angela, his hand still tightly holding my arm.

"No," I spoke up quickly, "we were just having a little…d-disagreement is all." Even though I'd been ready to let her have it just a moment before, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any harm came to her at the hands of the Joker.

"Is that so? What kind of a disagreement? You know I'm all for storytelling," he said, though he had yet to take his glare off of Angela who looked more unnerved than I'd ever seen her.

"Nothing too important," I butted in, "I was just voicing my opinion about something I shouldn't have," I said shakily. The grip on my arm grew even tighter and I let out a small gasp as the pain coursed through my body.

"Angela," the Joker said, clicking his tongue once in what seemed to be disapproval before letting go of my arm and quickly advancing towards the young girl who stood only inches away from him.

Without even thinking about the stupidity of my actions, I stepped between the two in a flash, putting my arms up to touch the Joker's chest in the hopes of stopping his movements. "Please, please don't do this. She didn't do anything wrong, I was just venting is all," I said rapidly, surprising myself by not stumbling over my words.

The Joker looked down into my eyes and I suppressed a gasp as the sheer hatred in them sunk into my core. His eyes were a charcoal black and the flames that stewed inside of them seemed visible to my fearful ones. "Please," I whispered one last time in desperation, sure that at least one of us would receive some sort of punishment.

With a growl, the Joker gripped my left hand which was still rested on his chest, turned, and began stalking towards the door he had just exited through. My shock caused me to stumble along behind him, my mouth hanging open slightly as I silently thanked the heavens for being on my side this one time. He opened the door roughly and continued to pull me inside behind him. I chanced a glance behind me to see Angela standing helplessly in the same spot, her shoulders shaking lightly just before the door closed on her. My heart sank as I felt the misery that she herself must be feeling due to the unrequited love that she somehow still sought in the Joker, though I certainly couldn't empathize.

The ding of an elevator door opening shook me out of my thoughts as the Joker pulled me through the doors, pressing the highest button on the panel before the door closed and the cart began to lift. Our close proximity was causing my heart to race, and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

"You were pretty brave back there," the Joker said with some humor in his voice. I could feel myself beginning to shake slightly at his playful tone – nothing good ever came out of it. "Brave, but oh so stupid." Before he was able to finish his sentence I felt myself being lifted off the ground by my arms and slammed into the elevator wall.

"You would think you'd have learned by now, sweet cheeks," he said before he slammed me back once again into the wall. My head flew back and collided harshly with the solid glass paneling, causing stars to float into my vision. A consistent pounding began to take up in my head as bruises began to form on the spots where he was gripping both of my arms just below my shoulders. "Pretty girls like you should never be heard. It ruins the mystery," he said with the lick of his lips. The ding of the elevator door opening saved me as the Joker let go, causing me to fall straight back to the ground.

Allowing myself a moment to catch my breath, I staggered back to my feet and followed him out of the elevator. Complete darkness enveloped the large room, which had a magnificent view of the bay. I slowly made my way over to the expansive window and looked out at the water, the lights from the houses that sat just across the way looking like nothing but small specks from this distance. Two ferries could be seen getting prepared for departure, and tears filled my eyes as I thought about what was about to happen to them.

I only vaguely felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and a head weasel into my neck. "It's a beautiful sight," he murmured next to my ear, "but like everything good, it soon must burst into flames."

"Not everything," I said confidently, signaling a light chuckle to reverberate against my shoulder.

"Well in my world, it does," he said before letting go of me and stalking away. I could hear his footsteps behind me, though I refrained from turning around to see what he was up to. Tonight had a different feel to it, and though I'd told myself this time and time again in the past, I truly felt an end drawing near.

"You know, you never answered my question," I stated. My voice had an airy sound to it, my mind seeming to work faster than my mouth.

The Joker let out a small huff before responding with, "And what might that have been?"

"It should have a pretty simple answer, though I don't expect anything so meager to come from you," I said before turning around to face him. "Why did you take me?"

He stopped pacing around the room and slowly turned to look at me, appearing more like a deer caught in the headlights than a mass murderer with army paint all over his face. "What does it really matter? I mean, tomato - tamoto, it's all the same in the end, right?" he stated before going back to whatever it was he was doing. I, however, was not going to let him off so easily.

"It matters because I think I have the right to know," I said fiercely. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark, and I want to know why you took me. I want to know why you murdered my parents, and how I fit into this big picture of yours. I want to know why you chose my life to ruin." I moved closer to him with every word I spoke, my temper rising all the while.

"You want to know," he stated more than asked in a whisper, his back facing me. In a fury, he whipped around and came at me, causing me to gasp. I felt his tight grip wrap around my throat as he pushed me into a wall I could have sworn had been yards behind me just moments ago. "You had your little perfect world that was wrapped up with a little red bow, didn't you? Your mommy and daddy gave you everything you ever could have asked for, not to mention a last name that could get you anything in the world. But I saw you, the real you. See," he said with the quick lick of his lips, "it all started out as the simplest of missions. Blackmail your father until he caved and wait until he was practically pleading to give me all the money I could ever need. I went to your house to start the bidding, only to find that it was empty. I decided that I would take the hospitality upon myself and go ahead in, get to know you all a little bit before I destroyed your perfect little existence. It looked…suburban enough, five bedrooms, two and half baths, and then I stumbled upon what could only be a teenage girl's room. Baby pink walls, queen sized bed, a laptop sitting on a white desk – and to think, I almost just walked away. As I was walking out I saw a journal nestled between some books on a shelf, and, you know me, curiosity took hold. Oh, the things I read in that hour. I certainly didn't expect you to be so…how should I word it, _deep_. Now, normally I'm not swayed to do things so easily, but I knew I had to see you in person. How was I to know we'd just click!" he said joyously.

"Is that what you call it?" I asked breathlessly. The grip on my throat had lightened, but the story left me in shock. The thought of him sitting in my room and reading my private thoughts made me feel sick to my stomach. All of my dreams and fears were sewn together in those bounded pages, and I truly felt invaded at this point. "We didn't 'click', Joker, you kidnapped me. Took me against my will," I declared angrily.

A growl emitted from deep within his throat and his grip immediately tightened as his eyes seemed to return to that black that shook me to the core. "You still don't understand do you? Do you realize how much trouble you've been?" he asked angrily as he shook me firmly.

"Then why didn't you just let me go-"

"I couldn't," he growled at me. "I'm the only person who knows who you truly are."

"And…who would…that…be?" I struggled to get out as my air began to cut off.

His other hand reached up and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in my face. "You're just like me," he said softly. "Lost, broken…"

My eyes widened as he gazed down at me, though I couldn't defend myself since speaking was now completely out of the question. I weakly hit his forearms in an attempt to get him to let go, but I could feel myself getting more lightheaded with every agonizing second that passed.

"That's why I took you; because I saw _you_."

With a billion fuzzy questions still buzzing throughout my mind, I felt that familiar grip of darkness take hold of me before the large room around me disappeared.

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	31. Changes and Revelations

**A/N: Thank you all for being so patient while waiting for this chapter and I hope you're all having a wonderful summer! The next one will be the Epilogue from a different POV and then the sequel will start :) If you happen to have any questions or feel like something in this story was unanswered, please leave it in your review. I will either answer it directly for you, or tell you if it will be in the sequel. As per usual, the list of new reviewers/subscribers will be listed at the bottom. Now on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any **_**Batman**_** characters or locations. I DO own the plot and all original characters and locations, and to use them without my permission is prohibited. **

That familiar sensation of being in the middle of two realms immediately set in as I groggily began to awaken. A muffled voice was the only sound I could hear as I slowly opened my eyes and painfully allowed them to get used to the minimal amount of light that was filtering in. As I took in the rest of my surroundings, I realized I was lying down on the ground in the middle of the same large room in which I'd past out. It was hard to tell just how much time had gone by, but I noticed that it was a bit darker than it had previously been and the pounding in my head told me that a chunk of time had to have already past. Maybe thirty minutes.

With my side aching from being on the solid floor for so long, I went to stand up; my heart skipped a beat when I realized this was easier said than done. Looking down, I saw that both my legs and wrists had been bound by rope, a large knot tying each respectively. I desperately tried to push my hands in opposite directions, but it was to no avail. I lifted up my head and searched around the room, but my view was rather limited.

"…Oh, and you might want to decide quickly, because the people on the other boat might not be quite so noble."

The sound of the Joker's voice naturally caused my heart to race even more rapidly, and that familiar sense of fear began to burn in my lungs. I tried to sit myself up, but abruptly stopped when I heard a low growling sound coming from my right. Slowly turning my head in that direction, I found myself about four feet away from a vicious looking Rottweiler. Now, I'd never been one to be scared of dogs, but I was also never stupid enough to carelessly approach one I didn't know – especially one with its teeth barred in my direction. My breath hitched in my throat as the animal took a step closer to me, two others appearing in my line of vision behind it.

The sound of footsteps initially went unnoticed by me as I pictured one of these dogs literally ripping my throat out, but when a pair of legs suddenly blocked the hounds from my view, I couldn't help but feel grateful. Well, as grateful as I could feel towards the Joker.

"Back off boys. This is my toy," he said, the smirk on his face made perfectly clear through his words.

"Why am I tied up?" I asked angrily as the dogs turned away and, sulking, walked back to what I presumed to be their original stance.

"Well I couldn't have you trying to run off while I was working, now could I?" he asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. He bent down, causing himself to be hunched over me, and I cringed as he brought his hand up to caress my cheek.

I allowed myself a moment to build up as much quick courage as I could before responding, "You call that working? I call it murder."

A boisterous cackle filled the room as he let out one of those gut wrenching laughs which lasted for a good thirty seconds. "Oh, darling," he began after he calmed down, "what am I going to do without you?"

"Without me?" I asked curiously, my neck beginning to hurt from holding it up for so long.

He licked his lips quickly before answering. "See, while this stunt I'm pulling will certainly have its perks, it also has its downsides. I expect our little bat boy will be here any minute now."

As if on cue, a rather loud explosion sounded from a few floors down somewhere, causing me to visibly jump.

"Aw, shush now. There's nothing for you to be afraid of. I won't be gone for too long, you know," he said with what looked to be an attempt at an authentic smile, as if he thought he was genuinely comforting me.

I looked up at him in confusion before his lips came crashing down onto mine. I let out an aggravated moan, though he must have mistook it for a pleasurable one, for no more than two seconds later I felt his tongue run across my bottom lip. I tightly put my lips together in the hopes of blocking his entry, which definitely seemed to aggravate him. I felt his hand run up along my arm, making its way to my face before he roughly grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.

"I suggest you cooperate, Jessica. I don't want anything bad happening on our last night together." He licked his lips once again as he intensely looked down at me. My heart skipped a bit as I tried to digest his words, his stare startling me even more. I didn't have time to protest, however, as his lips came right back down to mine.

This time he had no trouble having his way with me, his tongue rubbing up against mine as he violated my mouth with his own. I was lying lifeless on the ground, disgusted by a part of my brain that was telling me to give in to what was happening. The Joker's hand gripped my hair tighter, and I inhaled deeply at the sharp pain that caused my scalp to tingle. I felt his other hand reach down and grip my arm, squeezing as if warning me to participate. Afraid of what would happen if I kept this up for too much longer, I decided that giving in would lead to less worse of a fate in the long run.

Cursing myself, I began massaging my tongue against his, feeling a strong lurch in the pit of my stomach as he groaned. My eyes unintentionally fluttered to a close as I continued to give into the act. A small part of me wished my hands were mobile at the moment, but I quickly stopped that thought before it could go any further. I felt the Joker move from his position and climb on top of me, clearly putting him in the more dominant position. When his hips grinded down into mine, I couldn't suppress the small gasp that caused him to pull away and start working his way down my neck. Tears came to my eyes as I realized what was happening right now. I was losing all self-control, allowing my already overactive teenage hormones to take over my body. I gulped as he slowly sucked on my neck, lightly biting a spot before moving on to the next. Helplessly, I felt his hand run under my shirt as he lightly caressed my stomach, causing me to move my bound hands to the side slightly to give him better access. A sudden light flashed into the room and the sound of a helicopter could be heard flying near the window, but this didn't stop him. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, a haze enveloping the two of us and making everything outside of our own little world invisible to our eyes. By now, he had moved to attack the other side of my neck, repeating the same process over again. I let out a soft moan as he began sucking on a certain spot that seemed to send a bolt of electricity through my body, causing him to chuckle. The hand that was under my shirt began to steadily rise higher, as he continued to run his tongue across that sensitive area.

A loud beeping sound startled the both of us, however, and harshly brought me back to reality. Blinking rapidly, I watched as he sat up to straddle my hips and took a walkie-talkie out of his pocket, turning a knob and stopping the sound. He threw the device across the room, causing it to bash into the wall and break into several pieces on the floor. Throughout all of this, I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he ran his fingers threw his hair. He looked down into my eyes, and for the first time, I felt like someone was really seeing _me. _

Pieces of hair were dangling in his face as he looked down at me. Slowly, he lifted a finger and ran them across my now sore lips before leaning down and kissing them once more. Without a word, he stood up and walked away, leaving me to lay there for a few moments before he returned. The past few minutes seemed like a blur, but there was no mistaking the feeling of my heart still racing in my chest from the encounter. His footsteps approached again as he leaned down in the same hunched position he started out in next to me. I heard a strange ripping sound before he placed a piece of masking tape over my mouth.

"Don't want you interfering in this one," he said in a huskier voice than usual. He brushed a piece of hair away from my face before standing up without a word and walking towards the large window.

The only noises that could be heard were the helicopter still circulating outside and my breathing, which I was still trying to get down to a normal pace. I swallowed quickly, hoping to get the lump out of my throat, but it didn't work. There were so many emotions running through me at this point: fear, sadness, disappointment, and…

No, lust. That's all this was. Any girl who found herself in the situation I was just faced with would have reacted and felt the exact same way. There was really nothing for me to be ashamed of. The Joker's whole purpose in life seemed to be to just screw with my mind, which he has now accomplished one hundred percent. I'd heard of cases where the captive fell in love with the captor, but I refused to make this one of those sad stories. Period. There was nothing like that going on here. Soon, Bruce, or should I say Batman, would be storming in here to save me for good, finally locking the Joker up.

There was the occasional noise a few floors down that only confirmed this notion. It seemed that the cops and Batman were finally both in the right place at the right time. It certainly took them long enough.

With my breathing now back to normal, I moved my head so I was able to see the Joker's back. He slowly paced with his hands at his side gazing out the window, and in that moment I wished I was able to see the look on his face. Tonight was the first time I'd seen him take an emotion other than anger and fully give into it. Sure, he'd kissed me a few times, but he, well, we, had just taken it to a completely different level.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard one of the dogs bark loudly, prompting both I and the Joker to look towards the doorway, though it was a bit harder for me to see it completely.

"Oh, you made it, I'm so thrilled," the Joker stated sarcastically, taking a few steps forward as he glared at the now emerging figure.

"Where's the detonator?" the husky voice of Batman asked. Now that I knew the secret, I could just about place Bruce's voice behind that deep façade.

The Joker merely studied him for a moment before sending the dogs on him. He glanced at me a moment before winking and stalking towards the action. I listened as the dogs began gnawing at the suit, finding myself hoping that Bruce would be able to make it out of this without too many scars. I listened helplessly as the Joker let his frustration out, beating Batman with the weapon he'd been holding. A loud bang was heard from somewhere behind me, and I assumed that Batman had finally gotten Joker off of him. In a flash, the caped crusader appeared before me and quickly grasped my shoulder, sending me sliding across the floor a good ten feet causing me to narrowly miss ramming into the wall. I used all the strength I had to sit up and rest my back against the wall as I watched the Joker hit his nemesis with what appeared to be a small pipe and send him right into a net trap.

With him now on the ground, the Joker took his opportunity to get a stab in. "All the old familiar places," he stated just before Batman pushed him away defensively, causing him to stumble back a few feet.

Ripping the net without a problem, I watched in confusion as he stumbled around for a moment. I yelled out some words of warning as the Joker rushed up to him, only to hear the words muffled by the tape that I'd forgotten was covering my mouth. I flinched at the sound of breaking glass as the two made their way out onto a landing, Batman clearly losing as he was pinned down.

I strained my ears to listen to what they were saying to one another, but it was even harder now that the sound of the helicopter wasn't blocked by the glass.

"We really should stop this fighting. We'll miss the fireworks," the Joker said humorously.

"There won't be any fireworks," Batman replied angrily.

"And here we go," he said slowly, anticipating a loud blast from the harbor. My heart raced as I looked through the unbroken windows down at the two ferries, my eyes wide as I waited for the destruction which was sure to come any second now. I felt sick to my stomach as I imagined all of the fear those people must have been feeling in the past hour, and closed my eyes as I realized I really didn't want to witness this act of the Joker's. Each second that ticked by seemed like an agonizingly long time to me, so when the explosion didn't come, I wondered if my psyche had really been destroyed to the point where I was actually able to block it out.

A muffled yelp came from my mouth as I felt a hand on my shoulder. My eyes shot open and I found myself face to face with a member of the SWAT team. He reached down and slowly ripped the tape off of my lips so as not to alert either men of his presence, though the motion hurt like hell. He put a finger to his lips as he signaled at the other men filing in. After untying my binds, he quickly walked to lead the group towards the landing, but stopped, holding his hands up to command the others to do the same. Confused by his passive approach, I looked outside to see Batman standing alone, and my heart jumped into my throat. Without further ado, though, the Joker made his appearance, this time dangling in mid-air by one of the Batman's contraptions.

I could see the Joker's mouth moving, but was unable to make out just what he was saying. Figuring I was now safe to move from my previously confining position, I slowly stood up, using the wall to support me since my legs were rather shaky. I moved closer in the hopes that I would be able to hear what the two were saying.

"…This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good," Batman let out, sounding a little out of breathe.

I watched as the Joker smiled at his words. "'Til their spirit breaks completely," he said matter-of-factly. "Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and all the heroic things he's done. And maybe Jessica will reveal some of her new secrets," he said as he glanced over at me, a light shining in his eyes.

My breath hitched in my throat, and I prayed that he wouldn't tell him what had just occurred between the two of us. Batman's head slowly rose to glare at the man swaying before him in the air.

"You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fist fight with you? You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey. Jessica was just an unexpected bonus."

"What did you do?" Batman asked quietly.

"I took Gotham's white knight and the Wayne family's little princess, and brought them down to our level. It wasn't hard. See, madness as you know is like gravity; all it takes is a little push."

The laughter that emitted from his smudged ruby red lips caused a cold feeling of both dread and disbelief to shake me to the core. Is that what had happened earlier? All of it was just a ploy to get back at the city of Gotham? That sick bastard.

"So that's what your plan was?" Batman asked angrily. "With Jessica?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" the Joker exclaimed. "There's a whole other can of worms to be opened with that story. I'll save it for our next play date."

Without another word, Batman turned around and headed in my direction. He quickly picked me up bridal style and began stalking towards an alternative exit. Looking over his shoulder, I watched as the SWAT team crowded around the Joker. For an instance, our eyes locked on one another, and he slightly altered his laugh. An anguished sound seemed to come from within him, but I wouldn't allow myself to believe that he could ever feel such an emotion.

In a split second, we rounded the corner and he was blocked from my sight forever.

**Seven Months Later**

As one would imagine, escaping the terrors of your past is a feat that is near impossible if you allow it to take over your life. This is a fact that I have had to come to terms with while trying to take mine back.

After that night, the Wayne household became a torn one. Bruce struggled to maintain his sense of identity as he willingly allowed Batman to take the blame for everything that happened to Gotham, including the downfall of Harvey Dent. Even though he was facing his own demons, he did everything in his power to help me destroy mine.

The media was the first hurdle I had to jump. After the morning of my rescue, I woke up to find Alfred downstairs going through hundreds of messages from news stations all over the world. Because there was a risk that the enterprise name could be affected, I made one press statement about two weeks after the initial requests came in. I answered no questions, and after Bruce made his own separate press statement, no questions were asked.

For the first two months, Bruce sent me to a psychiatrist three times a week, which actually helped despite my initial reservations. Talking through everything with a virtual stranger allowed me to see things from a different point of view, though there are some things that still remain a mystery to me even today.

My next step was finishing my high school career through a series of online classes, which took about two months to complete since I'd already fulfilled most of the requirements my junior year. Not to mention the fact that Bruce very rarely let me out of the house, leaving me with very little to do besides my school work.

After I made sure I'd left no stone unturned, I decided that I was ready to move on with my life. I turned 18 at the four month marker, and when I expressed an interest in college, Bruce immediately tensed at the notion.

"There's no way you're going to stay on a campus by yourself." "It's just not safe." "You can't trust everyone you meet."

I had to listen to every excuse in the book before I finally convinced him to allow me to take online classes. Since I was little, my dream had been to work in the fashion industry, particularly for a magazine. When I expressed this to Bruce after he inquired about my strong interest in going to college, he immediately contacted one of the nation's biggest publications that just so happened to be located right in Gotham, Chic. The editor, who I concluded had a huge crush on Bruce, offered me an internship in the fashion department of the magazine. While working on my studies to get my Journalism credentials by night, I work for the magazine during the day.

Though to the outside world it seems as if my life has made a complete 180, the fear that one day _he'll _come back for me remains.

As was predicted, the Joker was locked away in Arkham Asylum in his own solitary confinement, while Angela, Cole, and Bob were taken to Blackgate Penitentiary. Though he is unable to have direct contact with me, or almost anyone else for that matter, those black eyes still haunt me, popping up into my thoughts and dreams at the most unexpected of times. Those painful memories resurface with a mind of their own, leaving me with no say in when peace will finally return.

The promise he made to me that night is what forces me to check every nook and cranny of my room before I can fall into my often restless slumber. It's the promise that causes me to constantly look over my shoulder when I'm walking down a crowded street. It's the promise that stops me in my tracks whenever I see a white van drive past.

Sometimes when I take a moment to just stop and look out the window, gazing down at the busy streets of Gotham and listening to all the sounds of the city, I think back to that night in the parking garage where this all began. There was a weakness in me then that I never even knew existed. Something inside was just waiting to get out, and in seventeen years no one had even noticed, not even me. _Only him. _A person labeled a psychotic murderer. Someone who would take my life and tear it to shreds without any remorse would also allow me the new beginning I'd been craving practically all of my life.

From the window I stand at in my editor's office, I can see Arkham in the far distance, towering over the city like a black cloud. It is home to all of the horrors Gotham has ever known. Strangely enough, it is also home to the only person who ever allowed me to both live and release my own.

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Jessica's Epilogue :) Next will be the Joker's hehe. **

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	32. Epilogue from Arkham

**A/N: Well, this is the last chapter for the story, and I can't believe it's over. It seems like just yesterday I decided to spontaneously sit down and start writing it, and now I'm done :( But don't worry, the sequel will be starting this week, and I must admit that I've been planning for it pretty much since I started writing this prequel haha. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and this story, whether you're a long time reader or just found it yesterday. Without you lovely readers I never would have been able to finish this, so I'll be forever grateful to all of you. Please remember to review, and be looking out for the sequel if you're not subscribed to my author alerts. **

**Also, I received a question from DarkRose412 about what celebrity I most associate with Jessica. I actually always pictured her as looking like Camilla Belle, but I never wanted anyone feeling like they had to picture an original character a certain way, and still don't think that. I started making a sort of trailer for this story awhile back and chose her primarily to use clips from her film "When a Stranger Calls". It just worked so perfectly with scenes from this story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any **_**Batman**_** characters or locations. I do own Jessica Wayne, the plot, and any original characters. To take them and claim them as your own is stealing and prohibited!**

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"It's all just an illusion. All of it. Those high society scoundrels are the true criminals, not me. See, I'm just trying to shed some light on the situation by-"

The small television screen went immediately to blue as Dr. Jeremiah Arkham threw the remote down on his cluttered desk. With his head in his hands, hair now pointing in several different directions, he couldn't help but feel like a failure.

Two guards had already been murdered since the clown had arrived eight months ago. _Two_, one of whom had been his most highly trained and respected in the entire hospital. He had found himself in this same position hunched over at his desk too many times to count, and he let out a frustrated sigh as he yanked open the top right-hand drawer to pull out his trusty bottle of Advil. As he popped two pills in his mouth and allowed them to ease down his dry throat, a shy knock was heard at the door.

"It's open," he called as he pressed the power button on the television, switching the screen from blue to black.

He used all of his might to hide the groan that threatened to fall from his lips when he saw just who was at his door. Instead, he simply nodded his head politely at his new companion. "Good evening, doctor. How did everything go for you today?"

"It was the usual, Dr. Arkham. I took your suggestion on switching up the environment of the therapy sessions, though," the young woman stated as she sat down across from her boss, taking off a pair of dark rimmed glasses and setting them on the edge of his desk.

"Exactly how drastic of a change did you make?" he asked curiously, tossing the Advil bottle back in its place and shutting the drawer before focusing back on her.

"Well…" she began nervously, clearing her throat before continuing confidently, "I moved him from solitary to group."

"You what?" the doctor exclaimed.

"Dr. Arkham, I as his therapist know him better than anyone-"

"No one knows him, Dr. Quinzel, no one! This is completely preposterous. Exposing him to the other patients is far too dangerous and way too big of a risk for us to take right now. We went down this road once before, and our budget can't take another hit at this point."

"The budget? Isn't our job to try and rehabilitate these patients? How do you expect me to do that if we don't try and socialize him?"

"You're speaking as if he's some little puppy that needs to learn how to get along with the other dogs. This isn't some harmless person we're talking about here. It's the Joker. In case you fell off the face of the earth a year ago, he's the same man who's the reason Commissioner Gordon's been riding my ass because of what he did to Jessica Wayne-"

"Don't even bring that up right now," she retorted defensively.

"I think that's exactly what we're going to need to bring up to crack him. I've seen all of the files that the police department compiled during that case, and it's made blatantly obvious that he feels some connection to that girl."

"Connection? Look, I think all of that was just a misunderstanding…"

Dr. Arkham suddenly realized that the two were now standing up, facing off to each other, though the look of anger that had previously coated his face was now one of confusion. He ran his hand across his face and felt the perspiration forming on his upper lip, a common sign of stress for him.

"Harleen, maybe you should take some time off," he stated seriously, his voice calm once again.

"What? I'm just starting to really make some progress here, doctor. To stop now would mean that I, we, would have to go all the way back to square one when I came back. And like you said, we just can't risk a screw up like that now," she said as she leaned on the desk in front of her.

Dr. Arkham studied her for a moment before turning away and slowly walking towards the window. He had a perfect view of the city from where his uncle's masterpiece sat on the outskirts of Gotham, the very place he'd been raised. As a teenager, he knew he'd be destined to take over the asylum once his uncle, Amadeus Arkham, either handed the reins to him or died. The circumstances of which he was handed the business were not the one's he'd hoped for: a realization that would eventually become the story of his life.

The arrival of the Joker had been no exception, of course. He, like the rest of Gotham, had become captivated by the number one story in the country – the saga of Jessica Wayne and the Joker. There were many points amongst all of the news reports and _The Gotham Times_ articles that he believed it all to just be a lost cause. Having studied numerous crazies throughout his time at the asylum, he could say with one hundred percent confidence that there was no one like the Joker. And after studying the case files provided by the Gotham Police Department upon his arrival, this conclusion was only further solidified in his mind. As the words from the doctors who had worked in this hospital for years rang through his mind on repeat, it became very clear to him what he had to do.

"We have to talk to him about Jessica," he stated clearly, though he continued to stare out the window in a dream like state. When all he heard was silence from behind him, he turned around to face one of his most clever doctors, now dead set on getting his way.

Dr. Quinzel was now looking down at the floor with a seemingly defeated posture. "I still don't think that's the best thing for us to do, sir."

"We can't keep catering to his needs without getting any results. We've let him keep the make-up, we've let him choose the days he wants his sessions. Weren't you the one who brought all of this to my attention when you began working with him? You were the one who said we needed to stop feeding the madness," he said as he walked back over to her.

She sighed before looking up to meet his intense gaze. "I know I can't stop you from doing this, but I refuse to be the one questioning him. I genuinely feel like it will be crossing over a line that would completely shatter the trust I've built up in him."

The man nodded in understanding, "Fine, then I'll do it. Since he is your patient, I will need your permission, but I think you see the reasoning behind this. You know I'm right."

Though she still appeared to be conflicted, she nodded nevertheless. "I give you permission."

A small smile fell on his face and only one word came to mind. _Finally_.

**Three Hours Later**

The red light on the camera flashed on, the sound of the tape spinning into action echoing around the room.

"Dr. Jeremiah Arkham overseeing the patient who refers to himself as the Joker. This session will be recorded for the purposes stated in document 7716, signed by I, the head of Arkham Asylum, Jeremiah Arkham."

"Now isn't this a pleasant surprise. Tell me doc, how's the family?" The Joker served as the prime example of what a nonchalant attitude looked like. Leaning back in his chair, hands free to move without the restraints of handcuffs. He had a fresh coat of paint on his face that he applied that morning, supplies courtesy of the very institution that was holding him.

"I ask the questions here, Joker," Dr. Arkham stated, staring straight into the eyes of the psychopath. Though he had come face to face with crazy patients thousands of times, staring into the Joker's black eyes chilled him to the core.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it would seem rather rude of me to impose on your area of expertise," he said with the lick of his lips and a smirk, now leaning forward to rest his arms on the table.

The doctor couldn't hold back the smile that came to his face as the thrill of anticipation burned inside of him. "Today we're going to venture into new territory. Dr. Quinzel has given you enough of a grace period on the subject."

"Are we going to be talking about my motives today? Oh, or what about my childhood? I'm sure you're just itchin' to know all about how much daddy hit mommy," the Joker said with the quick nod of his head.

"Not exactly…" the doctor said with the shake of his head.

"Well, shoot, doc. Surprise me," the Joker said with a small chuckle.

"Jessica Wayne."

The smile that had graced the Joker's face just moments before instantly fell, his upper lip curling into a snarl as he glared at the man sitting across from him, blinking rapidly as if to control his anger. His previously calm demeanor went rigid as his shoulders hunched forward appearing to be ready to attack.

"We're going to be talking about her today. It's time for you to discuss everything that occurred during that period of time."

"We're not. No. We're. _Not-ah_," he said icily, his fists curling and un-curling.

"Yes, we are," the doctor said, throwing a manila folder down on the table. The Joker didn't even glance at it. "Care to take a peek inside?"

The Joker barred his teeth for a moment and Dr. Arkham felt a rush of cold fear go through his body. Slowly, the Joker slid the folder towards him and flipped it open. He gave the doctor one last glare before looking down at the contents.

"Look familiar?" Dr. Arkham asked tauntingly.

Inside of the folder were the documents obtained from Reston City Hall approximately three to four months before the first kidnapping took place.

The Joker's eyes moved to look at him, though his head was still down. "Possibly."

"Possibly, huh? Let me help you clear up that little bit of doubt," the doctor leaned forward on the table to now rest his arms. "You took Jessica's father to the city hall and forced him to use his signature to allow you access to these private documents, correct?"

"You know, you're never supposed to ask a man about the secrets of his heart. Or maybe that's only for women…either way, it's not very nice," the Joker stated, wagging his finger at the doctor in an apprehending way. He was slowly but surely regaining his regular attitude, which the doctor just couldn't have right now.

"She's doing great, you know. Really moving on with her life," the doctor said proudly.

"Is that so?" the Joker growled, his lip curling back into that now familiar scowl. "But I bet she's dying inside."

"Why do you say that?" Dr. Arkham asked curiously, leaning slightly forward absentmindedly.

The Joker clicked his tongue. "She doesn't know what to do without me. See, with me, she got the excitement she needed. Everything she ever craved is wrapped up into me," the Joker stated with a satisfied smirk now plastered across his face.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you crave?"

"If I didn't know any better, Jeremiah, I would think you were hitting on me," the Joker looked taken aback, placing a hand on his heart in shock. "Sorry, I just don't hit my ball into that field. And what would your wife think? I just might have to tell her about this the next time we chat."

"No games, Joker. I'm not Dr. Quinzel, so I won't take your crap."

"Growing that backbone, are ya? I must say I'm proud. The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. Once you break away from that order you reinforce in your mind, you're free to do whatever you want. No morals or codes," he explained, using his hands to emphasize his point.

"Do you honestly believe that this world would be a better place if everyone was like you?"

"Now I never said that. 'Better' isn't necessarily a word I use often. No, exciting would be the world I'd use to describe it."

"You mean chaos," the doctor stated rather than asked.

"I've never really been one to describe the logistics of things, but whatever you think is best. I've always been more of a doer, myself."

"Is that how you describe yourself?"

"I've never had a problem with seeing something I want and taking it."

"Is that what you did with Jessica?" the doctor asked curiously.

A certain light sparked in the Joker's eyes, taking the doctor back a bit. That definitely wasn't what he expected to see. The sound of the door opening pulled him away from his thoughts, however; looking over at the door, he saw Dr. Quinzel standing there.

"Looks like Harley wants to join the party. She sure knows how to let her hair down, doc. Does Mrs. Arkham know that?"

Dr. Arkham looked over at his former pupil and couldn't help but notice the light tinge of pink that had come to her cheeks. He focused his eyes once again on the Joker to find him leaning back in his chair, his head rested easily back on his hands.

"This will conclude our session for today. You will now be escorted back to your holding cell."

"Actually, doctor," she interrupted, "I was wondering if I could have a few minutes to discuss some things with my patient."

Dr. Arkham rose out of his chair, retrieving the folder off of the table as he did so. Walking towards the door, he paused right beside the young woman. "Be careful, Harleen." With that he walked away, closing the door behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Quinzel walked over to the camera and turned it off, the tape slowing to a stop before clicking off. She slowly sat down across from the Joker, refusing to look at him just yet.

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted on discussing her," she stated carefully.

When she didn't hear a response, she warily lifted her head to see what he was doing, her heartbeat drastically increasing at the number of prospects that went through her mind. Rather than finding the angry or even overly joyous Joker she was used to, she instead found him gazing up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. There was no crease in his brow or smile on his plump lips. Just…a blank stare, something she'd never seen before today.

"A-are you okay?" she asked.

His head slowly came back down until his eyes were level with hers. "It's time to make a little comeback," he said with a broad smile.

Her eyes lit up as she flashed him a toothy grin. "Anything you say, Mistah J."

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**That concludes this story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you all again for sticking with me throughout this journey and I hope that you check out the sequel. It will be out sometime this week :)**


	33. The Sequel is Here!

Hello, everyone! This is a message to alert all of you that subscribed to the story alert, but not the author alert, that I have now published the sequel to this story! I know it has been far too long, but I hope it is all worth the wait :D Since I can't post a link her to the sequel entitled _Uninvited_, please head on over to my homepage to read it. The first chapter is just a teaser for all the crazy times that are to come for both Jessica and the Joker. Thank you all so much for sticking with me for so long!

- Jenny


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